Pharmacy2U Launches New Digital Health Check For Over 40s To Tackle Cardiovascular Disease
The partnership between PocDoc and the UK’s largest online pharmacy, launches to alleviate pressures on the NHS by encouraging simple at-home checks in North East England
The second biggest killer in England, cardiovascular disease affects around 6.4 million people. This potentially life-saving digital health check will be offered to the 10,000 Pharmacy2U repeat prescription patients, all of whom are over 40, in the region.
The Healthy Heart Check
The Healthy Heart Check, developed by partners PocDoc, uses a lateral flow test and a smartphone to provide patients with an NHS-equivalent cardiovascular screening at home, without needing to visit a GP. The check will operate alongside the existing in-person NHS Health Check,and is expected to contribute to an additional one million checks over four years, while easing pressure on GP surgeries.
The PocDoc app and digital pathway collects all the information needed for the Healthy Heart Check within ten minutes, including a six marker lipid panel, QRISK score, blood pressure and BMI. The app displays all results, including blood marker values, in a health dashboard in line with NHS clinical guidelines.
Patients will be offered the free option to discuss their results with a pharmacist if they wish, where they will be offered lifestyle advice and over-the-counter product recommendations from Pharmacy2U’s online shop. Referrals to GPs will only be made if further tests and treatment are needed, or results indicate more urgent care is needed, helping to reduce demand on GP services.
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.”
Steve Roest, CEO at PocDoc, says:
“We are seeing unprecedented levels of innovation in the UK healthcare ecosystem and this landmark is one more milestone. We are proud that together with Pharmacy2U and our NHS partners we are delivering a truly scalable, accessible, digital-first home health check.”
The partnership is being supported by the NHS Small Business Research Initiative and the System Transformation Fund and Health Innovation North East North Cumbria.
About Pharmacy2U:
Pharmacy2U is the UK’s largest digital pharmacy. Its mission is to make healthcare more accessible, providing choice and convenience for the whole family when managing health and wellbeing.
Founded in 1997, and a trusted NHS partner since 1999, Pharmacy2U has revolutionised the repeat prescription industry and is currently the nominated pharmacy for over 790,000 patients. Based in Leeds and Bardon, it is a multi-award-winning business, with patient care at the forefront, supported by 420,000+ reviews and an excellent Trustpilot rating.
Pharmacy2U offers a wide range of products and services including NHS prescriptions, Health Services, a Private Online Doctor service, Pet Health, and an online pharmacy shop which offers a wide range of health, beauty, and wellness products.
A proud member of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), Pharmacy2U is empowered by innovative technologies to constantly improve healthcare access for its customers. In 2022, the business appointed CEO Kevin Heath to drive forward its vision to become a world-leading digital healthcare provider.
About PocDoc:
Founded by Dr Kiran Roest, Dr Vladimir Gubala and Steve Roest, PocDoc‘s mission is to make diagnostic testing for Cardio, Metabolic and Renal disease as accessible and affordable as possible.
The PocDoc platform allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet to test themselves, receive a full health assessment and be offered solutions to address any health-related issues that arise, including real-time prescription of medication and clinical support.
The PocDoc® platform has been designed to work with the company’s own set of proprietary, quantitative blood tests which have been developed in house and are focused on Cardio, Metabolic and Renal disease pathways.
Backed by MMC Ventures, Forward Partners and Simplyhealth Ventures, PocDoc has a number of NHS contracts, has won multiple Innovate UK awards, an SBRI award and a MedTech Breakthrough Award. Its technology has CA and CE marks and is patented in Europe and the US.
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