“Around 100” community pharmacies in England will offer cholesterol checkups from this autumn as part of a drive “to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths by a quarter over the next decade”.
NHS England (NHSE) said yesterday that the pilot, which will run until spring 2027, will be available to those aged between 40 and 84 who are not pregnant and have not had a blood test in the past year.
It added that the pin-prick test will analyse patients’ cholesterol profiles “in just seven minutes”, after which a pharmacist prescriber can provide lifestyle advice and determine whether treatment is needed.
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And those eligible will also be offered a blood pressure check as part of a clinical consultation with a pharmacist prescriber.
The rollout follows a successful smaller pilot in north London which tested 2,493 patients at 61 community pharmacies between January 2025 and March 2026.
Almost one in five (19%) patients involved in the pilot were found to be suitable for pharmacological intervention and 88 were started on statins.
Spotting “ticking time bombs”
Chief pharmaceutical officer for England David Webb said pharmacies can be a “vital first line of defence against serious illness”.
“By making it easier for people to get a quick and convenient cholesterol health check on their local high street, we can spot ticking time bombs earlier, helping people take action and prevent heart attacks and strokes before they happen,” he added.
“Common-sense”
Independent Pharmacies Association chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck called the pilot a “common-sense move the NHS should be making”.
“It is a win-win-win. Patients get easier access to potentially life-saving tests and capacity is freed up in busy GP surgeries,” she added.
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive Henry Gregg described the rollout as an “historic and positive step forward” and said the NPA is “keen to see this rolled out to more pharmacies in the network”.
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“We have been clear for a long time that pharmacies can play a much bigger role in our health system, providing a wider range of care to patients, with the right levels of support from the NHS.”
It comes after the Company Chemists’ Association in July urged policymakers to expand community pharmacy’s role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
And it follows an Imperial College London study from June that showed that patients’ average cholesterol level fell by 42% after receiving follow-up calls from a pharmacist.
