New heart checks in community pharmacies

Chair of the RPS in England Claire Anderson has been busy fronting interviews on BBC regional radio about new heart health checks which will soon become available through community pharmacies.

The programme from NHS England to spot heart conditions will be delivered by pharmacies in 23 Clinical Commissioning Groups from 1 October. If successful, it could be rolled out to all community pharmacies in England in 2021-22.

Pharmacists will case-find and offer blood pressure tests to people showing symptoms, provide cholesterol checks and use mobile electrocardiograms to help spot irregular heartbeats. The programme aims to save at least 200 lives and previous pilots of the scheme saw a 25% reduction in the rate of stroke related to atrial fibrillation by identifying people with undiagnosed high-risk conditions.

Claire welcomed the news, saying: “Prevention of life-threatening illnesses, such as heart attack and stroke, is central to the NHS Long Term Plan. In line with this, community pharmacists are offering an ever-increasing range of clinical health checks and treatment to improve patient care and join up treatment with GPs and other local services."

Listen to Claire on BBC Radio Kent: