EVENING Post journalist Clare Boyd had a £469 general "body MOT" at Nottingham's Bupa Wellness Centre at Phoenix Park, near junction 26 of the M1.

She said: "I had been curious about private health screening for a few years. But when it comes to parting with a few hundred pounds, there always seemed to be something more important to spend the money on.

"I set aside around two hours for my tests with a health advisor called Faye Jackson. She did all the usual checks – blood pressure, weight, height.

"She also checked my lung function, which involved me blowing into a tube connected to a machine. Then she connected electrodes to my body to check my heart.

"Faye then asked me about my diet and energy levels – I instantly regretted eating those biscuits in the comfy waiting room.

"I then had 30 minutes with Dr Wai Lam, who talked me through my results.

"It was a relief to hear there was nothing obviously serious, though I had no reason to expect there would be as I don't smoke and I keep pretty healthy.

"I was interested in the results of my hearing test: in the previous few months I had noticed I was missing bits of conversation and was convinced I was losing my hearing.

However, Dr Lam assured me my hearing was better than average, and suggested years of trying to concentrate in a busy newsroom meant I'd learnt to filter out noise.

"The blood and urine tests were all fine – no sign of diabetes, anaemia or anything nastier. However, I was warned about my cholesterol levels. My total cholesterol was 4.9 mmol/l – anything less than five is OK.

"But cholesterol readings are made up of two parts: LDL and HDL. "My LDL reading was 3.1 mmol/l, higher than the threshold of 3.

"This means I am at greater risk of heart and circulatory disease.

"It was a wake-up call. This was something I'd never imagined I would have, but a few simple changes in my diet like cutting down on fat and sugar would help.

"I really enjoyed my health check and it was a chance to sort out all my niggling worries in one afternoon.

"However, if money is tight, it is a lot to spend – £469 for this test if you're under 40, or £529 for women over 40 who are also offered a mammogram – on tests which your NHS GP can carry out if they think you are at risk."