Pharmacy2U launches digital health check trial for over 40's in West Yorkshire

The second biggest killer in England, cardiovascular disease affects around 6.4 million people*. A new, and potentially life-saving, digital health check will now be offered to Pharmacy2U repeat prescription patients who are over 40 in West Yorkshire from this week after a successful pilot in the North East.

The pilot saw an incredible 60 per cent sign up rate from all 40 to 75 year olds invited to be in the trial, with over 800 Healthy Heart kits were delivered to people’s homes. The success of the trial was incredible. Over 50 per cent of people tested had not had a cholesterol check in the last five years despite being eligible for the NHS Health Check, and a quarter (25 per cent) of everyone tested were at very high risk of cardiovascular disease and their results were reviewed by clinicians.

The Healthy Heart Check, developed by partners PocDoc, uses a patented microfluidic assay and a smartphone to provide patients with an NHS-equivalent cardiovascular screening at home, without needing to visit a GP. The check will operate alongside the existing in-person NHS Health Check, and is expected to contribute to an additional one million checks over four years, while easing pressure on GP surgeries.

The PocDoc app and digital pathway collects all the information needed for the Healthy Heart Check within ten minutes, including a six marker lipid panel, QRISK score, blood pressure and BMI. The app displays all results, including blood marker values, in a health dashboard in line with NHS clinical guidelines.

Patients will be offered the free option to discuss their results with a Pharmacy2U pharmacist if they wish, where they will be offered lifestyle advice and over-the-counter product recommendations from the Pharmacy2U online shop. Referrals to GPs will only be made if further tests and treatment are needed, or results indicate more urgent care is needed, helping to reduce demand on GP services.

Gary Dannatt, Chief Operating Officer at Pharmacy2U says: “At Pharmacy2U we are always innovating to give exceptional healthcare to our patients and customers, and the extended partnership with PocDoc helps us deliver that. Fully digital health checks will help detect certain health abnormalities at a time and place convenient to our patients and ensure they receive the care and support they need to navigate the results. This service is part of our continued effort to support the NHS and alleviate pressure on doctors and GPs when they need it most.”

Steve Roest, CEO at PocDoc, says: “This Home Healthy Heart Check was the UK’s first true digital health check, delivered in an innovative partnership between PocDoc, Pharmacy2u and the incredible team at NHS North East North Cumbria including NHS Health Innovation NENC and the results are very clear – patient feedback has been extremely positive, we have reached people who are not engaging with existing preventative healthcare services yet are at serious risk of future cardiac events and major ill health with people who were untreated are being treated. This demonstrates the clear clinical unmet need for such a programme to be nationwide and emphasises that true digital, end to end, Health Check solutions like PocDoc and Pharmacy2u are leading the way in providing an alternative to using overstretched, overburdened GP surgeries and laboratory pathology services. We are excited to see the results from the other NHS systems we are rolling out to.”