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A Government-backed Healthy Heart Check programme from diagnostics company PocDoc has achieved “best ever” utilisation figures for a screening initiative supported by the NHS, according to the company.

Over 90 per cent of those invited to take part in a healthy heart check went on to use the app and do the test. The best-performing test prior to this has been the NHS’s bowel cancer screening programme (69 per cent uptake), claims PocDoc.

The scheme, rolled out in partnership with Cumbria Health and commissioned by Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, is part of a nationally commissioned cardiovascular disease prevention programme, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. 

It will see over 9,000 Healthy Heart Checks delivered to workplaces and homes across the North West of England following its October 2024 launch.

PocDoc’s screen, carried out via smartphone, offers patients a comprehensive cholesterol profile, body mass index score, NHS heart age and a ten-year risk assessment for heart attacks or stroke. 

Cumbria is one of the UK’s most rural and sparsely populated areas, with patients pointing to long travel distances and difficult public transport as reasons for not attending GP appointments including for their NHS Health Check, notes PocDoc.

Around 93 per cent of Cumbria Health employees found the test more convenient than going to a GP. Over two-thirds (69 per cent) of those tested were either overweight or obese and 78 per cent had not had a cholesterol test in the last five years.

Using PocDoc’s clinical dashboard, high risk patients are triaged in real time into post-screen treatment pathways, including follow-up with a clinician. Some 71 per cent of users were recommended lifestyle and dietary changes, while 16 per cent were directed into CVD treatment pathways.

Steve Roest, chief executive and co-founder of PocDoc, said: “The results are a clear indication that people want to take a proactive approach to their health, and that the solution to meeting this demand is increasing accessibility.”

Richard McGregor, head of digital and performance at Cumbria Health, said the initial results “highlight the power of digital-first solutions in delivering preventative healthcare at scale”.