Tesco last week (November 7) announced the launch of a new pilot “health zone” to “[enhance] pharmacy and healthcare services” in-store and “make it easier for customers to manage all aspects of their wellbeing in one place”.
The supermarket chain said that it has partnered with healthcare companies including Bupa and Haleon to provide services such as virtual GP appointments and weight management support.
The “pilot store concept” will begin in just one Tesco location – the refurbished Cheshunt Extra store in Waltham Cross – it added.
Read more: Revealed: The locations of all eight Tesco pharmacy branches closing from August
But it said that there are plans for two more stores to introduce the additional health services next year – in Hexham, Northumberland and West Durrington, West Sussex.
“If the pilot is successful, more could be rolled out across the country in the future”, the supermarket added.
Appointments are available to be booked in the first pilot location and begin from this week, a Tesco spokesperson told C+D.
“Reduce pressure” on NHS
The “dedicated health zone” is an extension of the existing Tesco pharmacy offer and includes “two new private consultation rooms” for in-person pharmacist and other healthcare specialist appointments, Tesco said.
The scheme will give customers “easy and convenient access to even more high-quality health services”, it added.
Most of the appointments are free but the services provided by Bupa – virtual GP appointments, weight management support and earwax removal – must be paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis without the need for membership or health insurance, Tesco said.
Read more: Tesco offers half a million free blood pressure checks amid low uptake
The new services include:
- Consultations with a clinician on managing menopause symptoms – provided by online menopause clinic Stella
- Free advice on oral hygiene from a qualified oral health educator – provided by healthcare company Haleon
- Free advice from a healthcare professional on pregnancy and infant nutrition – provided by Aptaclub
- Appointments “in partnership with” health research programme Our Future Health giving participants information such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels and supporting new discoveries to prevent, detect and treat diseases
Tesco chief commercial officer Ashwin Prasad said that the supermarket’s pharmacies help to make “healthcare accessible” and to “reduce some pressure on the NHS”.
Read more: Pharmacist empties Tesco of Ozempic for own private weight loss patients
“Our new pilot means customers…can now get advice from one of our pharmacists or specialist partners, book a GP appointment for a time that suits them, and pick up healthy food, prescriptions and nutrition supplements, all without making an extra trip,” he added.
Last year, Tesco closed eight in-store pharmacy branches to “remain focused and competitive in a fast-changing market”.
It told C+D at the time that it made the difficult decision to close the eight 100-hour pharmacies because the branches are not seeing sufficient customer demand to sustain their long opening hours.
