NEW DIGITAL HEALTH CHECK TRIAL FOR OVER 40s TO TACKLE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

The UK’s largest online pharmacy, Pharmacy2U is partnering with PocDoc to offer a potentially life-saving free digital health check to over 40’s. The Healthy Heart Check, developed by partners PocDoc, uses a lateral flow test and a smartphone to provide patients with an NHS-equivalent cardiovascular screening at home, without needing to visit a GP. Currently being rolled out to Pharmacy2U patients in the North East of England its hoped that this NHS trial will help tackle cardiovascular disease.

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 the 10,000 Pharmacy2U repeat prescription patients, all of whom are over 40, in North East England.

The Healthy Heart Check, developed by partners PocDoc, uses a lateral flow test 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 pharmacist if they wish, where they will be offered lifestyle advice and over-the-counter product recommendations from Pharmacy2U’s 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, said: “At Pharmacy2U we are always innovating to deliver access to exceptional healthcare to our customers, and that is exactly what this partnership with PocDoc brings. Fully digital health checks will help detect any 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, said: “We are seeing unprecedented levels of innovation in the UK healthcare ecosystem and this landmark is one more milestone. We are proud that together with Pharmacy2U and our NHS partners we are delivering a truly scalable, accessible, digital-first home health check.”

The partnership is being supported by the NHS Small Business Research Initiative and the System Transformation Fund and Health Innovation North East North Cumbria.

For more information bout the Digital Health Check visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-digital-health-check-to-tackle-deadly-cardiovascular-disease