Cholesterol testing in North East London pharmacies ‘highly valuable’

‘Highly valuable’ cholesterol testing in pharmacies across north east London has reduced health inequalities and improved access to preventative care, a pharmacy leader has said.

Seven community pharmacies in north east London took part in a pilot programme to deliver cholesterol point-of-care testing (POCT), commissioned by Barts Health NHS Trust.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said the programme aimed to strengthen integration across sectors and deliver cardiovascular disease prevention ‘closer to home’ in accessible community settings.

Between January and October 2025, the POCT service supported 556 patients across the seven community pharmacies in north east London, six of which were independent prescriber pathfinder sites.

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Most of the patients supported by the service were in their 40s and 50s demonstrating engagement from working age adults, CPE said. More than half of the participants identified as Asian and a large majority of them lived in areas with high deprivation.

The pilot found that around one-in-five patients (111 people) had an elevated cardiovascular risk while 14 showed critically high cholesterol levels and 27 had raised triglycerides above 4.52 mmol/L, suggesting potential underlying metabolic conditions.

A total of 24 patients were started on statins during this period while others chose to focus on healthy lifestyle changes. But in all cases, the consultations created an opportunity to ‘increase awareness, support behaviour change, and initiate timely treatment,’ said CPE.

Several challenges were identified by pharmacy teams including:

• A time consuming set-up phase which may limit expansion without additional support;
• Significantly prolonged consultations for some patients due to factors such as language barriers and challenges with health literacy;
• A reluctance from some patients to begin statin therapy despite clear discussions about test results and associated risks.

Patients were ‘overwhelmingly positive’ about the POCT service, valuing the convenience and speeds of cholesterol testing in community pharmacy, clear explanations of cardiovascular risk, and the ability to access testing without seeing a GP.

CPE said that pharmacy teams viewed the service as 'highly valuable' for helping people better understand and act on their cardiovascular health, although long-term clinical outcomes are yet to be measured.

Shilpa Shah, chief officer of Community Pharmacy North East London, said: ‘This was a great service to roll out to seven pharmacies. It’s not new to community pharmacy, as POCT has been around for many years. However, this evaluation clearly shows the benefits of POCT.

‘Community Pharmacy is so accessible, and we often reach those that don’t need to see their GP. Opportunistic POCT is brilliant for this cohort.’

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She added that she’d like to see this service available in all community pharmacies.

CPE said that by providing diagnostic services closer to where people live community pharmacy can reduce health inequalities, increase access to preventive care, ease pressure on general practice, and contribute to national efforts to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiovascular events.

It added: ‘The evidence and feedback suggest the programme is effective at reaching individuals who may face challenges accessing traditional healthcare routes.

‘Many residents expressed support for making pharmacy-based cholesterol testing routinely available and recommended expanding similar services to other conditions, such as diabetes.’

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In January, a free cholesterol test was also rolled out at 70 pharmacies across east London, pioneered by St Bartholomew’s Hospital, run by Barts Health.

The seven-minute test – first launched in Newham – can show a person’s cholesterol levels and estimate their risk of heart problems over the next decade.

Both initiatives contribute to the government’s 10-Year Health Plan ambition to focus on increasing the role of pharmacies in treating obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.