Pulse in the Press: ‘unethical’ private MOTs

Government advisers have warned that private companies are promoting non-NHS health screening checks in an unethical way, after Pulse revealed that GPs are increasingly faced with counselling patients who have paid to undergo the bogus and in some cases potentially harmful tests.

The UK National Screening Committee told Pulse that some private screening - which includes PSA testing and non-referred MRI scans - are unnecessary and can lead to patient harm.

It was responding to a survey by Pulse of 1,170 GPs, which found that nearly half of GPs reported their workload has gone up in the past year due to patients wanting to discuss results from non-evidenced based health screening tests they have paid for privately.

The story has been featured in the Telegraph, the Times and Daily Mail.