PocDoc’s home testing kit for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is to be integrated with the NHS App, allowing patients to see test results on their NHS patient record.Work is underway to complete the integration of the the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check at-home diagnostic service with the NHS App, with it planned to go live by the end of June 2024.Using the PocDoc at-home kit, patients can undertake point-of-care diagnostic test for CVD, and receive a full cholesterol panel test and data including their heart age, their 10-year risk of a heart attack or stroke, and their BMI in the PocDoc app.They are also provided with access to follow-up treatment options where necessary.In a press release, Professor Julia Newton, medical director at the Academic Health Science Network for North East & North Cumbria, said: “CVD is a silent killer. With PocDoc, we are raising awareness and increasing uptake of potentially life-saving health checks.“New screening initiatives like PocDoc, done outside of GP surgeries, without appointments, are really attractive to underserved communities and delivering at scale requires a new pathway with new technology to power it.”PocDoc is available to buy from pharmacies, or is available free on the NHS to people who qualify for a test. The NHS criteria is for people aged 40 to 74-years-old who are not currently on statins or blood pressure medication.Once the integration with the NHS App is complete, patients’ test results will be reflected in their patient records after being uploaded to the app.Steve Roest, chief executive at PocDoc said that he was “incredibly proud” to see the firm’s digital diagnostics integrated into the NHS app, starting with the Healthy Heart Check.“We believe we can help to relieve some of the pressure on the NHS through early detection of chronic diseases, while making important services more accessible to people across the country.“Excitingly, this is just the beginning. We expect patients to be able to book their health check directly through our app soon,” Roest said.He added that PocDoc has “further tests for metabolic, kidney and whole body health in the pipeline” and is looking to launch in new international markets towards the end of 2024.In February 2024, Pharmacy2U announced plans to offer PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check to its 10,000 repeat prescription patients.Meanwhile, NHSE announced in May 2024 that the NHS App had saved the NHS £1.1 million in 2023-2024 by providing notifications rather than sending text messages.CVD costs the health service £7.4 billion a year and the wider economy £15.8 billion, according to a report from The King’s Fund, published in November 2022.
Cora Lydon
https://www.digitalhealth.net/2024/06/digital-heart-check-service-to-integrate-with-nhs-app/
