PocDoc, an app-based technology platform that delivers diagnostic health checks for major diseases, last week (April 28) announced that it has expanded into four UK multiples, giving it “access to over 300 locations nationwide”.
It is now partnered with Knights Pharmacy Group, Weldricks Pharmacy Group, Greenlight Pharmacy Group and Lincolnshire Co-op Pharmacy, in addition to Dears Pharmacy in Scotland, it said.
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The Cambridge-based platform targets “areas of health inequality to dramatically increase cholesterol testing, either as part of existing blood pressure clinics or as a standalone health check service”, it added.
Its digital health check solution consists of a lateral flow test combined with an app downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet, it said.
CVD health checks in “under 10 minutes”
PocDoc said it can deliver “the full end-to-end cardiovascular health check pathway, including a quantified lab-grade 5 marker cholesterol test with results in the app, in under 10 minutes per person”.
Its app collects the information required for a health check including blood pressure and BMI and displays all results including blood marker values in a “health dashboard with comparison to NHS clinical guidelines”, it added.
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Patients receive a copy of their results emailed to them automatically and results can be sent to their record, while the pharmacy can also access the clinical dashboard to “assess future treatment pathways in real time, including prescription of statins where appropriate”, it said.
“Huge rise in demand”
Paras Shah, lead pharmacist at Greenlight Pharmacy Group said the London-based independent chain is “seeing a huge rise in demand for services such as health checks from customers, including cholesterol testing”.
“PocDoc is able to deliver a digital-first health check with a cholesterol test in a really patient friendly, pharmacy friendly way and we're excited to offer it across our estate," he added.
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Clinical standards director at Knights Pharmacy Pete Horrocks said that the multiple is “pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc cholesterol test and health screening app as part of [its] mobile health clinic”.
And head of pharmacy at Weldricks Pharmacy Richard Hackett added that the chain feels “it's the right product for pharmacy and for customers”.
"Recently, it has become clear that heart and cardiovascular health is a big concern for both our customers and the NHS [and] we are pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc quantitative cholesterol test”, he said.
“Proud to support pharmacy partners”
PocDoc CEO and co-founder Steve Roest added that the company is "excited to announce” its “continued expansion” in community pharmacy.
“We strongly believe that community pharmacies have a major role to play in delivering a step change increase in access to cardiovascular screening, both in pharmacy and in community settings…and we are proud to support our pharmacy partners in their incredible efforts to improve the health of their customers," he said.
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PocDoc said it has also recently been awarded two “major NHS contracts” to “dramatically increase access to cholesterol testing outside of a traditional GP surgery environment, including at-home, on the high street and in other community settings”.
It follows a major round of investment announced by the company in March.
According to estimates from the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), the community pharmacy hypertension case-finding service is on track to prevent almost 15,000 heart attacks or strokes by 2026.
There are around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK, the British Heart Foundation has said.
