Article by Dr Nicky Naunton Morgan, Dr Sarah Zimmerman & Dr Sophie Fidoe
Why come for a Sloane Street Surgery Medical?
In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to prioritise work, family, and daily responsibilities over our own health. Many individuals tend to overlook the significance of medical check-ups until they face a health crisis. However, taking the time for routine medical check-ups is a crucial investment in your well-being. There are numerous benefits to having a Sloane Street Surgery Medical.
Prevention is better than cure
The term ‘Primary Prevention’ means intervening before health effects occur, through measures like vaccinations and promoting a healthy lifestyle (https://www.cdc.gov). We understand that an unhealthy diet, inadequate sleep, physical inactivity and stress can all contribute to ‘unseen’ harm to the body. The doctors at Sloane Street Surgery aim to identify potential health issues early on, often before any symptoms manifest. Detecting conditions like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer in their early stages significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and recovery. The science of longevity often refers to increasing our ‘health span,’ which means keeping you living in good health. Our aim is to keep you living in good health into old age.
Personalised health assessment
Our medicals are personalised to your medical history, lifestyle choices, and family history to create a tailored health plan. This plan can include recommendations for referrals, imaging, and screening based on your individual risk factors. We aim to steer the medical to what is most sensible, what has the greatest value to you, as an individual, and what is most appropriate to your age and lifestyle.
Tracking your health parameters
Our powerful clinical system allows us to graphically track your individual health data over the years and will alert us to any changes or trends that occur and may impact your health.
Managing chronic conditions and reviewing regular medication
For those living with chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease, regular reviews are essential for monitoring and managing these conditions effectively. We aim to make necessary adjustments to your treatment plan, reducing the risk of complications and improving your overall quality of life. The medical also gives us the opportunity to review and manage any regular medications or supplements you are taking.
Mental health and well-being
Many individuals struggle with stress, anxiety, or depression, often without seeking help. We are keen to give you an opportunity to discuss any of these in a safe environment and will offer guidance, support and referrals where appropriate.
Building a strong relationship with the Sloane Street Surgery team
The doctors at Sloane Street Surgery will gain a comprehensive understanding of your health history and your concerns, in the context of your lifestyle and family. We believe that trust and communication is the foundation to a successful doctor-patient relationship and which in turn gives the best guidance and care. We want to be considered the very best village GP.
Who is the medical for?
The Sloane Street Surgery medical is for anyone and everyone. The medical is bespoke to your needs and will assess every aspect of your health and lifestyle.
What does it entail?
The Medical will take sixty minutes. We will send you an individualised medical report, highlighting ‘action plans’ for the future. These might include referrals to consultants, referral for an investigation, starting a medication or simply just watching and waiting. Each year’s medical report serves as a fantastic overall summary of you and your health needs, which we can refer back to between your medicals. It also allows us to look for trends in body functioning over time.
What can you expect on the day?
Discussion
We usually start by discussing any current physical or mental health concerns you may have. We usually talk through each body system and screen for any red flag symptoms. We then go over your past medical history with you, check which medications and supplements you are taking and if you have any allergies. We discuss your lifestyle, family history, vaccination history and medical screening history. If after taking a family history there is a strong occurrence of a disease in relatives, we will recommend a genetic review. This is the sort of thing that is not in most medicals covered by insurance companies.
Examination
We then proceed to examine you. We carry out an examination of all the main body systems, including your ears/nose/throat, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and skin. For women we may include a breast and gynaecology examination and for men a prostate and genitals examination, if appropriate.
Investigations
We may also suggest focusing in on targeted areas, as appropriate for your age, gender and risk factors. Examples include:
- Women’s health– contraception, fertility, menopause, urinary symptoms, osteoporosis and breast screening.
- Men’s health– prostate, testicular, erectile dysfunction, urinary symptoms.
- Younger age– contraception, STI testing, mental health, vaccinations e.g. HPV.
- Older age– memory issues, falls risk, bone health, bladder and bowel issues.
Mini medicals and shorter screening appointments
Some of our younger, fit and healthy patients may not require a full medical but would still benefit from a health check. These checks can be done as a regular 30-minute consultation as long as there are not other health concerns to be discussed.
Mini Medical (30 mins)
This is a 30-minute appointment for patients who are fit and well with no significant medical history and no current health concerns. We would discuss age and risk appropriate screening, check weight, height and blood pressure, and take blood tests as needed. There is no formal written report for a “Mini Medical”, but the results will be fed back to you by your doctor.
Well Woman Check (30 mins)
This involves a brief discussion around screening and an examination, which would include blood pressure, weight and height, a breast examination, a pap smear and blood tests if appropriate.
Well Man Check (30 mins)
This involves a brief discussion around screening and an examination, which would include blood pressure, weight, height, prostate and/or genital examination (if appropriate), and possibly investigations such as an ECG, blood tests and STI screen (if appropriate).
Child Health Check (30 mins)
It is useful and important to monitor the growth and development of children and our child health checks include a physical examination, plotting of their height and weight on their growth charts and the opportunity for the parent to discuss any health, developmental or behavioural concerns. As the child gets older, they will have the opportunity to discuss any health concerns or questions around changes to their body with their doctor should they want to.
Young Adult Health Review (30 mins)
We recommend that our patients have a health check around the age of 18 to get a baseline of their health parameters and to plan their care going forward with their doctor. The review would include a physical examination, measurement of blood pressure, weight and height, as well as ECG of the heart and baseline blood tests.
Next Steps
We will be adding articles to our website on the usefulness of various investigations and screening modalities. Our first will share what insights can be gleaned from a basic form of lung function testing, called spirometry.
If you are looking for help to optimise your health and would like to book in for a medical, please book an appointment online here. Select a 60-minute appointment for a full medical and a 30-minute appointment for a mini medical. If you’re unsure, please give us a call on 0207 245 9333.
Although it is not essential, it is slightly preferable to book in for a medical having fasted overnight, or for 6 hours before an afternoon appointment.
A medical at Sloane Street Surgery takes an hour and costs from £500 plus pathology and test charges. A mini medical or shorter screening takes half an hour and costs from £250 plus pathology and test charges.
