PocDoc to roll out digital cardiovascular testing across Scotland

PocDoc, the digital health platform and personal diagnostics provider, has announced an exclusive partnership with Dears Pharmacy to improve access to regular testing for cardiovascular diseases (CVD).  

An estimated 1 in 8 people are living with heart disease in Scotland. Identifying those at highest risk of CVDs early on and ensuring they receive appropriate treatment can prevent many cases and reduce the strain on health services.

PocDoc and Dears Pharmacy will enter a 12-month contract bringing smartphone diagnostic testing abilities to Scotland where PocDoc will be the exclusive lipid test provider. The service will run across all 11 Dears Pharmacy’s across the east coast of Scotland, including in Edinburgh and Fife.

Dears Pharmacy chain sees over half a million customers per year, who will now all have access to PocDoc blood testing. Customers’ cholesterol levels will be tested digitally through the PocDoc app and Dears Pharmacy will be able to prescribe Statins in real-time within 12 hours of testing on-site.

Dears Pharmacy has been using PocDoc’s COVID testing app throughout the pandemic, using it to issue fit to fly certificates in real time, reducing the time for each appointment by up to 70%.

Mahyar Nickkho-Amiry, managing director of Dears Pharmacy said: “We are delighted to have PocDoc’s app-based lipid testing diagnostic tool and platform available to all our customers in Scotland.

“It will be a real benefit to the community to have access to Point of Care testing in their local pharmacy, without having to make a trip to a hospital which could take weeks or even months. PocDoc’s app is extremely easy to use, it is clearly the future – our staff and customers love it.”

Steve Roest, CEO and co-founder of PocDoc said: “Compounded by the backlogs caused by COVID, the lack of access to blood tests for regular health screening is creating a ticking timebomb in public health across the UK.  

“This partnership will allow us help free up desperately needed clinical time for the NHS in Scotland and provide fast reliable results to Dears Pharmacy customers. We are looking forward to this initial trial of the service before it becomes more widely available to the public later this year.”

Dears Pharmacy will use PocDoc exclusively for all Point of Care Lipid testing at its pharmacies and will use this opportunity to investigate how to combine testing with prescription of statins in real time.

The tests will be carried out by trained Dears Pharmacy healthcare professionals with lipid tests and supporting app for test results supplied by PocDoc.