A Hearty Profit: How PocDoc Positively Impacts Community Pharmacies
A Hearty Profit: How PocDoc Positively Impacts Community Pharmacies
Authored by: Dr Matthew Lee; BMSc, MBBS, MSc
Last reviewed: April 2024
What's in this PocDoc Article:
- The state of cardiovascular disease in the UK 2024
- How Community Pharmacy can bridge the testing gap in cardiovascular disease prevention
- How does PocDoc benefit community pharmacies?
- 1) The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check opens up a new revenue stream for community pharmacies
- 2) Offering PocDoc Healthy Heart Checks leads to upselling opportunities for community pharmacies
- 3) The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check will expand your pharmacy’s customer base
- 4) PocDoc’s Healthy Heart check is needed in areas of high socio-economic depravation
- 5) PocDoc has proven success with the NHS and community pharmacies across the UK
- 6) PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check will enhance your pharmacy’s community impact
- 7) PocDoc is easy to integrate into your pharmacy’s ecosystem
- Frequently Asked Questions
The state of cardiovascular disease in the UK 2024
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a serious health issue in the UK. Every three minutes, one person dies from cardiovascular disease - amounting to over 170,000 deaths each year, according to the British Heart Foundation. As a result, cardiovascular disease is a growing problem of national concern, affecting over 7.6 million people across the UK with an economic burden of £25 billion annually.
Despite how common CVD is, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be significantly prevented through lifestyle changes. PocDoc believes that community pharmacies can be the key to substantially reducing cardiovascular disease cases.
How Community Pharmacy can bridge the testing gap in cardiovascular disease prevention
According to Community Pharmacy England, around 1.6 million individuals visit community pharmacies every day. Not only are they the most frequented healthcare service, but there are over 11,600 community pharmacies across England, with many of them being in areas of the highest levels of socio-economic deprivation.
- Community Pharmacies have already seen great success with services such as the NHS Community Pharmacy Blood Pressure Check Service, showing that they are at the front lines of community-based preventive care.
- From PocDoc’s work so far in Community Pharmacies across the UK, on average, 79% of people have not had a cholesterol check in the last 5 years or more, yet 24% of people tested were at extremely high risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Combined with the fact that 80% of people tested were over the age of 40, this clearly shows PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check in Community Pharmacy is finding the right people who are at risk, who are not being tested through other forms of healthcare access.
How does PocDoc benefit community pharmacies?
1. The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check opens up a new revenue stream for community pharmacies
- The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check offers a new revenue stream for your pharmacy, catering to the growing number of cardiovascular disease cases in the UK. Community pharmacies can tap into a new target audience and attract new customers by providing a healthy heart check, which can be done in under 10 minutes.
- This convenience of offering heart health screenings alongside traditional pharmacy services will give your pharmacy a competitive edge and lead to repeat customers.
- To implement the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check in your pharmacy, check out our website below:
PocDoc Healthy Heart Check Website
2. Offering PocDoc Healthy Heart Checks leads to upselling opportunities for community pharmacies
- Depending on the healthy heart check results, specific lifestyle changes may be recommended to help maintain or improve the individual's heart health.
- Pharmacies can use this opportunity to recommend other products to help the individual’s heart health journey. This creates more sales opportunities for the pharmacy, further increasing revenue.
3. The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check will expand your pharmacy’s customer base
- Offering a heart health screening service in your pharmacy will appeal to more individuals concerned about their health. PocDoc’s healthy heart check and the expert advice provided by community pharmacies create huge value for potential customers.
- Banners, flyers, and posters highlighting the seriousness of cardiovascular disease in the UK and the importance of heart health checks will encourage customers to purchase the test.
- PocDoc provides support for all these marketing materials for your pharmacy, increasing the chances of individuals purchasing a test from your pharmacy.
PocDoc Healthy Heart Check Website
4. PocDoc’s Healthy Heart check is needed in areas of high socio-economic depravation
- Areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage are experiencing a shortage of GPS. Offering the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check in community pharmacies helps reduce the huge demand for access to heart health screening.
- This service will reduce pressure on the GPs and the NHS while decreasing health inequality.
Craig McManus, Deputy Head of Foundation at Middlesbrough Football Club:
“The PocDoc Healthy Heart Check makes heart health screenings more accessible and local by bringing it to people's doorsteps and improving testing across the east side.”
PocDoc Healthy Heart Check Website
5. PocDoc has proven success with the NHS and community pharmacies across the UK
- PocDoc has multiple contracts with the NHS and partnerships with various pharmacies and services, including Lincolnshire Co-op , Dears Pharmacy, Peak Pharmacy, Newcastle GP services, Cumbria Health on Call and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria.
Community Pharmacy Leaders
Marc Brooks, Head of Pharmacy at Lincolnshire Co-op, says:
“Whether a patient has a family history of cardiovascular disease, is looking to make some lifestyle choices, or just wants to better understand their body, we hope that the convenience and accessibility of our tests will encourage them to learn more about their heart’s health.”
“As well as having their results clearly explained to them, patients will receive recommendations to help lower their QRISK3 scores and lead a healthier and longer life.”
Gary Dannatt, Chief Operating Officer at Pharmacy2U, says:
“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.”
6. PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check will enhance your pharmacy’s community impact
- Showing you care about your customers’ well-being is the best way to attract new and retain customers. Community members will have access to a reliable heart-healthy screening to detect potential heart-related issues in under 10 minutes.
- Pharmacies that offer the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check can now have support to organise health screening events, displaying their customers and community.
- These events can attract new customers, where other pharmacy services can be offered. These community events are also attractive to local sponsors for the event who want to give back to their community.
7. PocDoc is easy to integrate into your pharmacy’s ecosystem
- PocDoc's healthy heart test simplifies heart health screenings, eliminating wait times while still being an NHS equivalent in CVD screening. The test eliminates the need for specialised workers and allows any trained pharmacy team member to conduct the test.
- To streamline this process, PocDoc provides a medically reviewed e-learning platform that can be completed in five 10-minute breaks. At the end of the learning period, the pharmacy team member will receive formal accreditation on the PocDoc platform.
Download PocDoc's Community Pharmacy Booklet
PocDoc Healthy Heart Check WebsitePocDoc's E-learning platform
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs )
1. What support will PocDoc provide my pharmacy?
PocDoc will give you access to:
a) PocDoc E-learning Platform
- Our comprehensive, medically reviewed e-learning platform will provide everything you need to know about the PocDoc Healthy Heart check
- After completing the course, your staff will confidently perform the test and advise patients on common queries and concerns
- You will then receive formal accreditation on the PocDoc platform
b) Marketing Materials
- Digital marketing materials, including promotional flyers, posters, social media posts, stock footage, and pre-done copyrighting, are available at no extra cost
- Support with physical marketing materials, including physical flyers, posters, stickers, stands, boxes and banners
c) Technical and Commercial Support
- On-call technical support can be accessed by emailing our support team
- On-call commercial support from our commercial sales team
support@mypodoc.com Contact PocDoc
2. How much should I sell the test for?
- The PocDoc healthy heart test costs will be determined by many factors, including the location of your pharmacy, the number of test orders, and your commercial goals.
- You can discuss this with our on-call sales team.
3. What other pharmacies are partnered with PocDoc?
- PocDoc partners with various pharmacies, including Lincolnshire Co-op, Dears Pharmacy, Peak Pharmacy, Newcastle GP services, Cumbria Health on Call and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria.
4. What is the public's feedback on healthy heart checks?
Our testimonials show that people are happy with their experience with the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check.
- 95% of PocDoc users would recommend the heart health check to friends or family
- 98% of PocDoc users found the heart health check to be more convenient than going to their GP
Download PocDoc's Community Pharmacy Booklet Community Feedback on PocDoc
Get in touch to find out more
