CAMBRIDGE, England, April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — PocDoc, the Cambridge-based digital health platform today announces it has launched in 4 major community pharmacy chains across the UK, giving it access to over 300 locations nationwide.
In addition to Dears Pharmacy in Scotland, PocDoc is now partnered with Knights Pharmacy Group, Weldricks Pharmacy Group, Greenlight Pharmacy Group and Lincolnshire Co-op Pharmacy.
Across its partnership network, PocDoc is being used both in pharmacy and out of pharmacy in the community, targeting areas of health inequality to dramatically increase cholesterol testing, either as part of existing blood pressure clinics or as a standalone Health Check service.
Cardiovascular Disease has been identified as the single biggest condition where lives can be saved by the NHS over the next decade and the Company Chemist Association estimates that pharmacies alone can save 15,000 heart attacks and strokes in the next 3 years through focusing on CVD prevention measures1.
The evidence is clear: the more people tested, the more people can be treated and the more heart attacks and strokes can be prevented.
PocDoc is an app-based technology platform that combines proprietary lateral flow tests and cloud-based AI diagnostics to deliver end to end digital pathways for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major diseases.
PocDoc is able to deliver the full end-to-end cardiovascular Health Check pathway, including a quantified, lab-grade 5 marker lipid (cholesterol) test with results in the app, in under 10 minutes per person.
The PocDoc app collects all the information required for a Health Check, including blood pressure and BMI. The app displays all results, including blood marker values, in a health dashboard with comparison to NHS clinical guidelines.
The patient receives a copy of their results emailed to them automatically and results can be sent to the patient’s record from PocDoc’s diagnostic cloud. The pharmacy can also access the PocDoc clinical dashboard to assess future treatment pathways in real time, including prescription of statins where appropriate.
The PocDoc solution consists of a proprietary lateral flow test combined with an app downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet – it’s convenient for busy pharmacies with space constraints, it requires no calibration nor maintenance and there is no cost for large machines.
In addition to a growing pharmacy customer base, PocDoc has recently been awarded 2 major NHS contracts to dramatically increase access to cholesterol testing outside of a traditional GP surgery environment, including at-home, on the high street and in other community settings.
In March, PocDoc announced a major round of investment led by Forward Partners, MMC Ventures and Simplyhealth, one of the UK’s leading health insurance providers.
Steve Roest, CEO of PocDoc, says, “We are excited to announce our continued expansion in Community Pharmacy. We strongly believe that Community Pharmacies have a major role to play in delivering a step change increase in access to cardiovascular screening, both in pharmacy and in community settings. We’re pleased that PocDoc has seen such positive reactions from pharmacists and their customers across the UK and we are proud to support our pharmacy partners in their incredible efforts to improve their health of their customers.”
“Knights Pharmacy plays a critical role across the UK in providing services to those most in need in the community. We are always looking for new services that address key health issues for the public and the NHS so we are pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc cholesterol test and health screening app as part of our mobile health clinic, targeting areas of greatest health inequality.” – Pete Horrocks, Clinical Standards Director, Knights Pharmacy.
“Weldricks has a strong and proud reputation throughout its history of delivering services to customers that make a real difference and address their health concerns. Recently, it has become clear that heart and cardiovascular health is a big concern for both our customers and the NHS. We are pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc quantitative cholesterol test, we feel it’s the right product for pharmacy and for customers.” – Richard Hackett – Head of Pharmacy, Weldricks Pharmacy.
“As one of the leading London-based independent chains, we are seeing a huge rise in demand for services such as health checks from customers, including cholesterol testing. PocDoc is able to deliver a digital-first health check with a cholesterol test in a really patient friendly, pharmacy friendly way and we’re excited to offer it across our estate.” – Paras Shah, Lead Pharmacist, Greenlight Pharmacy Group.
Notes to Editors
Available for interview on request:
Steve Roest – CEO & Co-Founder, PocDoc
To book in an interview or for more information please contact: comms@mypocdoc.com
1About Cardiovascular Disease:
There are 7.6 million people living with CVD in the UK, and Cardiovascular Disease is a leading cause of premature disability, mortality, and health inequalities, and responsible for one in four deaths each year.
(https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/contact-the-press-office/facts-and-figures#:~:text=Heart%20and%20circulatory%20diseases%20cause,men%20and%203.6%20million%20women.)
The UK Health Security Agency estimates that the annual healthcare costs in England relating to CVD are around £7.4 billion, with an annual cost to the wider economy of £15.8 billion.
(https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2019/02/14/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease/).
Company Chemist Association reference article: https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD136951/CCA-Hypertension-case-finding-service-to-halt-15k-cardiovascular-events-by-2026
About PocDoc:
Founded by Dr Kiran Roest, Dr Vladimir Gubala and Steve Roest, PocDoc’s mission is to make diagnostic testing as accessible and affordable as possible. The PocDoc platform allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet to test themselves for a range of major diseases and conditions, 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 preventative disease areas, starting with cardiovascular disease.
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.
www.mypocdoc.co.uk
About Steve Roest:
Steve is the CEO and founder of PocDoc, where he has raised multiple rounds of private investment, is a multiple time Innovate UK grant award winner, as well as a member of the UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders review board.
Steve is a huge advocate for innovation and pushing boundaries of what is possible with technology. He is passionate about the people and companies who are changing the world, especially in HealthTech and Healthcare.
Steve presents the HealthTech Hour on UK Health Radio which was born from his desire to provide a showcase for companies, leaders, founders, CEOs and clinicians who are genuinely changing the world, leading the healthcare revolution in the UK and beyond. Notable guests include Matt Hancock, Ali Parsa and Jessica Ennis Hill among others.
The show, which has over 60,000 listeners live per week from over 30 countries, with more listening on demand via Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts and YouTube, focuses on the unique journeys of each guest, how they are changing the world and how they stay on their mission.
www.healthtechhour.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/@healthtechhour
https://open.spotify.com/show/5pZb65BCLauYxbJrbzDQfP?si=4229d00f85ec4b84
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ7p_oiTrIY
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064863/PocDoc_PR_Image.jpg
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