Thousands of people in the North East will be among the very first in the country to be able to check their cholesterol levels at home as part of a special pilot study.
10,000 people in our region will be part of a pilot of the PocDoc Lipid Test - which uses a finger prick blood test, a lateral flow device (similar to those we are used to seeing in Covid-19 tests) and a special app to determine if someone has high cholesterol.
If so, the app gives someone's results almost immediately, speeding up diagnosis and helping people to get NHS treatment faster. The idea is that this will also free up time for GPs. The trail is taking place here as there are at least 430,000 people living with cardiovascular disease across the North East and North Cumbria - though it's thought many more are undiagnosed - while 6,700 people die of this each year. That's the equivalent to around one in four deaths.
The pilot will focus on boosting access to cholesterol testing outside of the traditional GP surgery environment. This will see at-home testing, along with tests available in high street locations and around communities.
High risk patients in deprived communities and those who do not see their GP regularly are also being prioritised. The pilot has already begun, with GP practices in Newcastle and a business in Cleveland taking part so far. It is hoped that testing like this away from doctors' surgeries and hospitals will make it easier to keep a close eye on those at risk of illness - in particular in deprived areas.
Professor Julia Newton, Medical Director at the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), said: "Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the region and, in many cases, it can be prevented. The PocDoc test has the potential to transform the way we deliver [caridovascular disease] risk assessments and diagnose patients, making it more accessible to people who have previously struggled to engage with the process.
"[The network] is delighted to support PocDoc in setting up the pilot in the North East, where it will help improve some of the health inequalities faced by communities in our region."
Steve Roest, chief executive and co-founder of PocDoc: “The whole PocDoc team is excited to launch our partnership with AHSN NENC that will deliver a step-change increase in access to vital testing for cholesterol.
"The PocDoc app, quantitative lateral flow tests and digital platform can keep people out of hospital and reduce pressure on GPs, while increasing the number of people who receive vital treatment for the nation’s biggest killer – and one of the NHS’ biggest costs – cardiovascular disease."
PocDoc is also working with one of the region's leading cardiologists - Dr Alan Bagnall - on a scheme which will see patients flagged during targeted "lung health checks" for follow-up using the PocDoc test to find if they are at higher risk of lung cancer. This is because high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease are related to lung cancer risk - and the PocDoc app collects the data needed to comprehensively assess someone's risk.
