Personalised “health MOTs” could be a “game-changer” for those approaching retirement age in the UK, the Health Secretary has said.
The approach, currently used in Japan, involves combining genetic study and AI machine learning to create personalised medical plans.
Wes Streeting said the technology could revolutionise the way healthcare is delivered in the UK, with a 10-year plan for the NHS due to be published later this year.
He told The Telegraph newspaper: “I think Japan is interesting on two fronts. I’m particularly interested in the science and technology side, where you’d expect Japan to be a leader, but also they’ve got a very significant ageing society, so (looking at) how they support people to age.”
Mr Streeting, who has reportedly been briefed by a former Japanese former health official on their programmes, said he hoped to adopt a similar approach to the country where the service could eventually be offered to everyone.
“If we can start to think about that sort of health MOT approach, but combining it with things like genomics and AI machine learning, so people aren’t just getting a general MOT, but a personal one, and where we’re able to very early on, not only diagnose earlier and treat faster, but predict and prevent illness … that is a game-changer, and that is the kind of exciting revolution in medical technology and life sciences that is just going to completely change the way we think about, let alone deliver, health and care,” he said.
Mr Streeting added: “For me, against the sort of the backdrop of enormous challenges and sometimes quite a lot of pessimism, I see a lot of opportunity and hope.”
NHS England said patients over the age of 65 or those with frailty-related conditions would be given health MOTs at the entrance of emergency departments in June last year to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
The tests would run for 10 hours a day, seven days a week, and would check blood pressure, heart health and mobility, it was announced.
