MORE than 250,000 patients in Gwent would be entitled to a free over-50s health check through theirGPunder proposals that were contained in the Labour Party’s recent Assembly election manifesto.

The figure across Wales would be around 1.2 million patients – but a Welsh doctors’ leader has warned that unless there is an outbreak of “post-election common sense,” that pledge could put doctors under unacceptable pressure and result in many thousands of missed appointments.

“We have gently suggested that the reason some over-50s don’t go to their GP is because there’s nothing wrong with them,” British Medical Association Wales GP committee chairman Dr David Bailey told the annual conference of UK local medical committees.

“Sending out 1.2m extra over-50s appointments will put unacceptable pressure on appointments for ill people.

"It will also probably lead to 1.1m DNAs (did not attends – the official categorisation of missed appointments).”

Missed appointments already cost the NHS in Wales millions of pounds every year.

Doctors fear that free over- 50s health checks would add significantly to the DNA rate, and even if more capacity were created to deal with such appointments, it would largely be money wasted.

“We wait with interest to see if the government’s actual intentions match the manifesto, or whether there will an outbreak of post-election common sensewhen it remembers it has undertaken to find 11 per cent savings in the Welsh NHS budget,” said Dr Bailey, who practises in Gwent.

“The Scottish Parliament tried to bring this in, but there is no good evidence for it, and the idea was withdrawn in England.”

“GPs see patients over 50 who are clearly at high risk, for instance heavy smokers, the overweight and obese, as part of general service.

“But we don’t think it is a good idea to ask everyone, and in general, people do not like to be nannied.”