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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the UK’s biggest killer, causing over a quarter of all deaths. That’s around 170,000 a year or an average of 460 people every day, according to figures from the British Heart Foundation. In addition, more than eight million people in the UK are living with heart or circulatory disease, and around 100,000 hospital admissions each year are due to heart attacks – that’s one every five minutes.
Despite these statistics, most people have never had their cholesterol checked, their heart age calculated, or their 10-year cardiovascular risk assessed. The screening gap is vast, with National Audit Office data showing that fewer than half of the eligible population attended a health check in 2023/24, and there is no effective system for commissioning these checks.
Filling the gap
Community pharmacies in England are already involved in CVD prevention through the NHS Hypertension Case-Finding Service, an advanced service targeting undiagnosed high blood pressure in adults aged 40 and over. The service provides free blood pressure checks, ambulatory monitoring and direct GP referrals without requiring an appointment. However, by adding point of care testing (POCT) capabilities, there is room to do more.
One organisation helping community pharmacies to do just this is digital diagnostics company PocDoc, which has been working with pharmacy partners across the UK to expand access to cardiovascular screening. PocDoc has also been partnering with NHS organisations, local authorities and charities to bring testing directly into communities that traditionally face barriers to accessing preventative healthcare.
Founded by Steve Roest, Dr Vladimir Gubala and Dr Kiran Roest, PocDoc’s mission is to make diagnostic testing for cardio, metabolic and renal disease easily accessible to more people via smartphone enabled diagnostic solutions. The company’s Healthy Heart Check takes less than eight minutes from fingerprick to full results on a smartphone, delivering a complete cholesterol profile, NHS Heart Age, BMI and QRISK3 score. Results are integrated directly into the patient’s electronic health record and the NHS App.
“What stood out to me was how quick and accessible the service was”
Community pharmacy support
The 100x100 initiative is PocDoc’s new nationwide community health programme, designed to deliver 10,000 free Healthy Heart Checks across 100 underserved communities throughout the UK. The company is working with local organisations, charities, NHS bodies and community groups to take testing directly into communities where people may be less likely to engage with traditional healthcare settings.
Alongside this, PocDoc has been expanding the availability of its Healthy Heart Check through community pharmacy partners across the UK, from large chains such as Superdrug and Well to local independent groups like Puri Pharmacy in the heart of Southall and Hillingdon.
“We know from speaking to local residents that access to basic healthcare services can be a real challenge,” says Rahul Puri, superintendent pharmacist and owner of Puri Pharmacy. “This is why we partnered with PocDoc to bring testing directly into the community, making it easier for people to understand their cardiovascular health and take proactive steps to manage it, ensuring no one is left behind when it comes to prevention.”
And it’s not just pharmacists who are getting involved. Raj Puri, operational manager at Puri Pharmacy, was part of the coordination team for the Healthy Heart Check programme. This involved booking patients in and explaining what the check involved to make sure everything ran smoothly for both the pharmacists and the patients.
“It was great to see how something as simple as a quick check can open up a proper conversation about someone’s heart health, often for people who wouldn’t normally think to get checked,” says Raj. “Being part of that and seeing the difference it made for the local community was really rewarding.”
Bhavinpreet Khatra, foundation trainee pharmacist at Puri Pharmacy also helped out, and says: “What stood out to me was how quick and accessible the service was. Many patients were surprised that their cholesterol could be checked using a simple finger-prick test, and I was actually surprised by this myself. It made cardiovascular health checks feel much less daunting and much more accessible for patients, and really highlighted to me the important role pharmacy teams can play in preventative healthcare and making cardiovascular health checks more accessible within the local community.”
Regional partnerships
In addition to its pharmacy partnerships and the 100x100 initiative, PocDoc has been working with NHS organisations and regional partners to deliver community cardiovascular screening programmes.
In Greater Manchester, for instance, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, supported by the British Heart Foundation, is using PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check technology to deliver thousands of neighbourhood cardiovascular health checks across the region.
Similarly, through the Thames Freeport Mobile Health Innovation Platform, PocDoc worked alongside Community Pharmacy North-East London, Community Pharmacy Essex and local pharmacy teams to bring a cardiovascular screening pilot directly into communities across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Thurrock using a mobile health unit.
PocDoc for your community
The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check kit is the first in a series of products the company plans to launch across cardiovascular, metabolic and renal disease testing. Using a fingerprick of blood, it delivers results to a smartphone in less than 10 minutes. The kits can be sold through pharmacies for customers to use at home, while pharmacies can also partner with PocDoc to offer Healthy Heart Checks as part of their own cardiovascular health services. To find out more, visit pocdoc.co
Thames Freeport initiative
The Thames Freeport Mobile Health Innovation Platform (MHIP) pilot ran over nine weeks between 12 January and 10 March this year, completing 687 tests in one of the UK’s major economic zones. This matters because according to data from the Institute for Public Policy Research, heart disease is the single largest factor behind people leaving the workforce due to ill health.
A person with a CVD diagnosis has a 22 per cent likelihood of leaving their job – this is higher than cancer at 16 per cent and mental health at 14 per cent – and around 30 per cent of people who are economically inactive have a heart, blood pressure or circulatory health condition.
Indeed, the results of the Thames Freeport pilot make a strong case for mobile, community-based preventative care:
- One in five people were found to have an elevated risk of CVD, with over 25 urgent cases flagged for GP follow-up
- 78 per cent of users had not had an NHS Health Check in the past five years, and 77 per cent said they would not otherwise have been assessed
- The £105,400 pilot generated an estimated £192,928 in NHS cost savings – a 1.83 times return on investment.
Stuart Rimmer, interim CEO at Thames Freeport, says embedding a pharmacy-first approach was a core aspect of the MHIP design and delivery, with pharmacists pivotal to its success.
The pilot resulted in 98 per cent of users reporting a clearer understanding of their health after their consultation; 95 per cent reporting improved understanding of diabetes and hypertension, and 97 per cent saying they would be likely to access similar preventative services in future.
A team approach
Pharmacists and their teams from Community Pharmacy North-East London who were involved in delivering the MHIP service were similarly positive about its success.
“Patients were grateful that we were close to their homes to deliver the service and I was pleased that they were happy,” says pharmacist Ali Suzangar, from Britcrown Pharmacy in Romford.
Pharmacist Abi Saran from Sapphire Pharmacy, also in Romford, says the service opened up opportunities for the community. “The health checks were provided immediately and the patient was informed promptly of their results and what these meant,” explains Abi. “It allowed me to inform patients of their readings and I had ample time to be able to do so, given the health checks took place away from my usual setting.”
The pilot also opened up new skills for pharmacy technicians. Kiran Sarai, pharmacy technician at Thomas Pharmacy in Barking, says: “During my time, I learned how to take patients’ blood pressure readings, note down their weight and measure their height. I also learned a new way of using PocDoc to upload their blood pressure, weight and height readings onto the app and send them directly to the patient.”
Pharmacy technician Labiba Jahangir, also from Thomas Pharmacy, called it “a rewarding experience”, adding: “I carried out blood pressure and cholesterol checks and provided lifestyle advice, which was a valuable opportunity to support the local community and promote healthy living.”
Reena Kanda, pharmacist at Thomas Pharmacy, said the whole experience was “very positive” for the pharmacist, pharmacy technicians and the patients. “We had the opportunity to work closely with the public and carry out health checks on the spot and provide information promptly,” says Reena. “Taking the service to patients allowed us to access patients we couldn’t otherwise access, which was a real positive.”
Future plans
“The future of healthcare is preventative, local and accessible,” says PocDoc chief executive Steve Roest, of the company’s plans for further testing initiatives.
“Community pharmacies have an increasingly important role to play in that future, and we’re excited to continue working with pharmacy teams across the UK to make preventative testing part of everyday healthcare.
“Alongside this, we’ll continue expanding initiatives such as 100x100 and working with NHS and regional partners to bring screening into the communities that need it most. The more people we can reach before cardiovascular disease develops, the more lives we have the opportunity to improve.”
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