One in five people receiving rapid cholesterol tests in pharmacies found to be at high risk of heart attack or stroke over next 10 years

Rapid finger-prick tests, which give a full cholesterol reading in under seven minutes and calculate a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years, were introduced across seven pharmacies in north east London last year.

Our interim evaluation report found that pharmacies provided tests for around 550 people over 40 weeks between January and October 2025 – with 111 people identified as being at high risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years.

High cholesterol is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, hitting communities in the most deprived areas hardest due to higher risk factors and poorer access to care. There are often no symptoms, making proactive testing crucial. Across East London there are 220 deaths each month due to heart and circulatory diseases.

When the programme’s cholesterol tests identify someone as high risk, pharmacists are able to give immediate lifestyle advice and start treatment or refer to a GP for further care. The results are also available on the NHS app.

Barts Health and UCLPartners worked with North East and North Central London ICBs, North East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee, HEART UK and NHS England to provide the tests.

The interim evaluation report found:

• The programme had engaged residents across a broad range of ethnic and socioeconomic groups with very high representation from people in more deprived areas
• Many people had taken positive action after being tested, including starting to take statins and making lifestyle changes – although there was a substantial level of resistance to taking statins
• Pharmacy teams unanimously report positive experiences of the service, believing it benefits local residents
• Residents appreciated the convenience of having the tests in pharmacies compared to GP practices.

John Craig, Chief Innovation Officer at UCLPartners, said:

These findings show that this programme is identifying people at high risk of heart attack and stroke and has significant potential to reduce health inequalities, shifting cardiovascular care from treatment to prevention and closer to people’s homes.

Dr Sotiris Antoniou, Divisional Director of Clinical Services and Clinical Lead for Point of Care Testing at Barts Health NHS Trust, said:

This interim evaluation highlights how community pharmacy can play a critical role in cardiovascular prevention by improving access, particularly in more deprived communities. Delivering cholesterol testing alongside personalised advice allows earlier identification of risk and timely intervention, supporting patients to take action on their heart health while reducing unwarranted variation in care.

Charlotte Stone, Programme Director of Long Term Conditions, North East London Integrated Care Board, said:

Working closely with Barts Health, this programme is already showing how early identification and proactive management of cardiovascular risk can transform outcomes for our residents. The learning from this work is directly shaping our future commissioning intentions for an integrated renal cardiometabolic approach – one that delivers holistic support, tackles inequalities, and reduces unwarranted variation so people across north east London can live longer, healthier lives.

The tests are now being rolled out to an additional 70 pharmacies in north east London and are already available in six pharmacies in north central London.

A final evaluation report, which will include an assessment of the wider system impact of the programme, will be published in the second half of 2026.