Charles Kennedy has called for NHS "health MoTs" in a bid to boost disease prevention.

The Liberal Democrat leader argued for patients to have regular check-ups made available to them with targeted screening against known risk factors.

In a speech to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on Thursday, he said the move would help prevent suffering and make use of modern technology.

Financial demands on the NHS are set to increase in coming years, with expensive equipment and pharmaceutical treatment becoming available.

However preventative screening methods are also increasingly being advanced with genetic data making risk factors more personalised.

Kennedy argued that proactive check-ups, rather than reactive treatments, are the best way to make use of this knowledge.

"It is best to prevent people falling ill in the first place," he said. "The health problems facing us in the future are more likely to be long-term conditions which require community support rather than acute illnesses which need one-off medical treatments."

Local focus

He called for ministers to commission a preventative programme within the NHS.

"The time has come for targeted 'health MoTs' for individuals, delivered through our public services," Kennedy added.

"The National Institute for Clinical Excellence should develop health MoTs, with appropriate screening tests based on a persons' age and risk factors.

"This could be delivered locally through partnerships with other organisations, providing outreach into the community, for example in pharmacies or supermarkets.

"Ill health can only be tackled early if local health services have the capacity to deal with them early."