Pharmacy2U last week (September 11) revealed that it is “sending free cholesterol testing kits to 10,000 of its customers aged 40 and over” across England to “increase access to lifesaving preventative care”.
In what it claimed could be the “largest at-home heart health screening programme” by a UK digital pharmacy, the initiative will “highlight how nationwide digital-first diagnostic testing could reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on the NHS”, it said.
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The online pharmacy is partnering with digital health diagnostic company PocDoc to deliver these “cutting-edge tests free of charge” between September 10 and September 17, it added.
According to Pharmacy2U, the test takes “less than 10 minutes” and will allow patients to see a “full cholesterol profile and heart age estimate” as well as assessing their risk of CVD “from the comfort of their own home”.
Based on patients’ results, the pharmacy will then “invite them to join a six-to-eight-week programme tailored to their needs” including a “free online pharmacist consultation” and “targeted advice” to help customers “take control of their cholesterol levels”.
“Personalised pharmacist support”
Pharmacy2U superintendent Phil Day said that “recent breakthroughs in at-home cholesterol testing technology offer a near-instant picture of a patient’s blood profile”.
“With a quick finger-prick, people can spot potential risks early and get advice from their pharmacist on how to make a change before more serious health concerns arise,” he added.
And Pharmacy2U chief executive Kevin Heath said that he hopes “one day soon this kind of digital-first diagnostic testing will become standard-fare for an NHS that is now laser-focused on preventative care, delivered as close to home as possible”.
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The government’s 10-year health plan “gives pharmacists a growing role in delivering care for our communities” and Pharmacy2U believes that “innovation like this is the way to deliver that consistently, conveniently and cost-effectively”, he added.
PocDoc chief executive Steve Roest stressed that by partnering with Pharmacy2U, the company is “helping more people than ever detect high cholesterol early and take control of their heart health with personalised pharmacist support”.
Research from the University of Birmingham, however, highlighted in July that “strict regulations” are needed to “address off-the-shelf health test concerns”.
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The studies, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), reviewed a range of commercially available health tests purchased from shops and found “significant issues”, according to the university.
“Our recent research raises concerns about the suitability, accuracy and usability of many of the self-testing products available that require users to sample, test and interpret results themselves,” corresponding author of the study Professor Jon Deeks said.
It comes after PocDoc partnered with Superdrug in April to introduce an “at-home” CVD test to help reduce “avoidable high GP appointment numbers”, among other things.
