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Health Screening on the U

Posted on: Monday, 15 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

HEALTH screenings among employees at Merseyside businesses have increased 25% in the past year, according to new figures.

The rise is being attributed to awareness about growing risks of illnesses like diabetes, breast cancer and heart disease, coupled with increasing attempts by employers to keep their workforce healthy.

The figure was announced by north west private health insurance brokers Manson Warner Healthcare (MWH), which insures more than 300 companies in Merseyside.

The company has overseen 750 health checks in the past 12 months compared with 600 health checks between August 2004 and 2005.

Evidence shows the rise is attributable to companies actively encouraging employees to be screened, and funding the tests in a bid to keep their workforce healthy, rather than a simple rise in employee numbers. Last night Graeme Warner, managing director at MWH, said high-profile cases like pop singer Kylie's recent breast cancer diagnosis has prompted people to become more pro-active about their health.

Mr Walker said: 'Often people think that health screening is a time consuming process but there are new products on the market that can do full screenings within half an hour.

'

This means that workers can pop out during their lunch without it impacting too much on their day.'

The screenings, which are carried out by private health insurers such as BUPA of BMI, can be used to detect anything from high blood pressure, cholestorol, and low blood sugar, to cancer and early signs of osteoporosis. Mr Warner said an increasing trend was for senior manager to opt for full body CT scans, which can detect most serious conditions from a brain tumour to lung cancer.

National campaigns like recent a Government warning that 55% of the population will develop obesity-related diabetes in the next twenty years, are also a factor.

There are already 1.8 million diabetes sufferers known across the UK, with a further million expected to have slowly developed the condition and haven't yet been diagnosed.

Mr Warner said: 'When left untreated diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, and even blindness and amputation, but the good news is that with a healthy lifestyle, plenty of exercise and a balanced diet, you can vastly increase your chances of escaping diabetes.

' With the number of sufferers expected to soar over the next decade there will be huge pressure on the NHS to cope with diabetes and its resulting illnesses.

'Consequently, we must look at a prevention rather than cure approach and consider having regular health checks and screenings, which will help detect any health problems before they become serious.

'It is important that we raise awareness in Liverpool and encourage people to be health screened so that we can pick any problems up in its early stages." deborahjames @dailypost.co.uk

Source: Daily Post; Liverpool

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