A Dundee minister has advised people not to attend a health screening clinic organised for her own church.
The Rev Edith McMillan, minister at Douglas and Mid Craigie Parish Church, says a company calling themselves Life Line Screening are “preying on people’s anxieties” and are charging more than £100 for services which are available free on the NHS.
The company has defended itself, insisting that while the tests are offered by the NHS they are not always easily available.
Ms McMillan’s warning came after 86-year-old David Miller and his disabled wife Sheila (78) of Haldane Terrace were sent a letter by the US company, which has a West Sussex address. The letter urged Sheila to sign up for screenings which were taking place on one day only at the church.
David said: “We read the leaflet and it said we could save £126 on the screenings for strokes. It said they were happening in our area for one day only but it didn’t say what that day was.
“We thought it was strange so I phoned up more out of curiosity than anything else. I asked them what day it was happening on and the woman asked for my postcode.
“I wasn’t going to give my own postcode details out so I gave her the postcode for the church, which they had sent us, but she said it was an invalid postcode.
“I said forget the postcode, you must have a date for the screening if you’ve booked the church, but she said she couldn’t give me the date.”
Sheila added: “I can’t walk far or take the bus and it’s a long way away if we did want to go, so it would be £18 to £20 for a taxi. They wanted us to pay money up front for something that might not even take place.
“It might be genuine enough but they’ve got a strange way of going about it. We’re maybe a couple of pensioners but you can’t take us to the cleaners.”
Ms McMillan said she had been on holiday when the booking had been taken and said she was unhappy about it.
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“Our hall lettings convener had no indication that this was a money-making scheme. At the time it was just booked under a health screening clinic. It has been booked and paid for so it’s too late to do anything about it, but it’s not something I’m happy about.
“These kind of services being offered are available free on the NHS and in my opinion it’s not something we would want to put our name to. It’s preying on the anxieties and insecurities of people and it’s not something we would condone.”
The company’s booklet says, according to the National Stroke Association, 80% of strokes can be prevented and says scans are only offered when symptoms become present.
It offers four types of test carotid artery/stroke scan, plus tests for heart rhythm/atrial fibrillation, abdominal aortic aneurism and peripheral arterial disease costing a total of £240, with reductions offered for the one-day event at the church.
However, Ms McMillan said: “Personally I wouldn’t recommend that. I wouldn’t pay for stuff you can get through your own GP.”
A spokesman for NHS Tayside said: “We are not aware of this company. We would encourage anyone who has any concerns with their health to visit their GP.”
According to the company’s website, the Dundee screenings take place on September 10. There are also screenings planned for Dunfermline, Perth and Glenrothes.
But according to the body which advises the government on screening, the procedures offered by private companies such as Life Line Screening can be expensive, unnecessary and misleading.
The UK National Screening Committee says the NHS offers tests for osteoporosis, strokes and heart disease for free, while GPs say the letters are scaremongering and the tests are often unnecessary.
Craig Wilmott of Life Line Services defended the company’s role, saying it was a matter of choice for the public.
He said: “Yes, you can get these services on the NHS but again it comes down to the patient showing signs in the first place. Often the first sign of a stroke is the stroke itself. You don’t get the symptoms before the stroke strikes.
“It’s hard for people to convince their doctors to have a screening done because the symptoms are not apparent. We’re not here to replace their doctors and we would always tell people to discuss their results with their GPs.
“It’s all about freedom of choice. It’s up to people to come along and take advantage of our services, or not.”