I went for a full body MOT and the results came as a shock — SkimNews
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- Neko Health offers a £299 full-body scan from its Manchester clinic using AI and 2,000 photographs to build a 3D avatar screening for skin cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, glaucoma, and kidney and blood disorders — with 100,000 people currently on its waiting list
- Annabel Mason-Thompson, 50, had four basal cell carcinomas missed by Neko Health's AI scanner in September 2024; they were only identified after she pointed out a suspicious red mark during her post-scan consultation, leading to two excisions and two cryotherapy treatments
- Mehvish, 33, was diagnosed with Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults after her scan flagged elevated long-term blood sugar despite her having no symptoms — she credits the early intervention with saving her life and now injects insulin twice daily
- Of Neko Health's 4,362 scans at its Stockholm headquarters last year, 1.2% discovered life-threatening conditions such as melanoma and leukaemia, 4% flagged significant conditions requiring further treatment, and 1.2% identified reversible issues like pre-diabetic blood sugar — though the figures only cover paying clients
- NHS England and Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, warn the scans drive "over-diagnosis, unnecessary investigations and avoidable anxiety" and add strain to the NHS when private clients return for follow-up; GPs say they have seen no "convincing evidence" broad private screening improves health outcomes
- The author was flagged with 3,311 skin markings (versus the average client's 845) requiring extra dermatologist review, plus an ECG trace showing a bifid P wave — both ultimately cleared, though she now applies sunscreen across her body after learning her freckles raise skin-cancer risk
Why it matters: Neko Health's 100,000-person waiting list reflects booming demand for £299 preventive scans backed by millions in venture capital alongside peers Prenuvo and Ezra. The piece exposes a core tension: the AI missed four cancerous lesions in one patient while catching silent diabetes in another, and NHS GPs argue the model creates over-diagnosis while pushing follow-up costs back onto the public system.
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