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A successful Barts Health-led pilot is being expanded to up to an additional 100 community pharmacies across England, bringing free cholesterol testing and cardiovascular support closer to local communities.

The ELoPE-CVD pilot, delivered by Barts Health in partnership with UCLPartners and HEART UK across North East and North Central London, has demonstrated the potential of using trusted community pharmacies to identify cardiovascular risk earlier and make prevention more accessible.

Between January 2025 and March 2026, the pilot tested 2,493 patients at 61 community pharmacies. Nineteen per cent were identified as suitable for pharmacological intervention, with 88 people started on statins.

From autumn, eligible people will be able to access a seven-minute cholesterol check at participating pharmacies, alongside blood pressure checks. Pharmacist prescribers will assess cardiovascular risk and provide personalised lifestyle advice or treatment where appropriate.

The programme has been highlighted in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and shortlisted for this year’s HSJ Awards in the Medicines, Pharmacy and Prescribing Initiative of the Year category.

It is now moving beyond testing, with selected pharmacies supporting cholesterol-lowering treatment, including administration of inclisiran.

At Lansbury Pharmacy in Poplar, lead pharmacist Milad Rahman and his team have carried out around 500 tests, showing the value of offering cardiovascular checks in a setting people already know and trust.

“When I started offering the tests, I expected there would be interest,” said Milad. “What surprised me was how quickly word began to spread. I've had patients tell their relatives, and then whole families come in.”

Around one in five people tested at Lansbury Pharmacy were found to have previously undiagnosed high cholesterol.

“It was definitely news to a lot of people. They felt completely well and had no idea there might be an issue.”

Milad says the pharmacy’s close relationship with the local community is key to reaching people who may not routinely access healthcare.

“We have a large South Asian community locally, so I can talk about food, lifestyle and risk factors in a way people understand and relate to,” he said.

Dr Sotiris Antoniou, Clinical Lead for the ELoPE-CVD PoCT programme at Barts Health, said the national rollout demonstrated “the potential of combining the cardiovascular expertise of Barts Health with the accessibility and trusted relationships of community pharmacy.”

“This is about more than finding high cholesterol. It is about identifying cardiovascular risk earlier and, importantly, closing the loop between detection and intervention,” he said.

Shilpa Patel, who had the test at her local pharmacy, said: "I found the whole experience easy and pain free. It was great that I could get tested in a friendly environment that I'm accustomed to without having to make two different appointments because the results were instant. Also the results were easy to understand in a traffic light system which I'm already familiar with. The whole process was smooth from start to finish."

The programme will run in up to 100 community pharmacies until spring 2027, with a focus on areas of higher deprivation. By bringing cardiovascular testing and treatment closer to where people live and work, it aims to identify risk earlier, reduce health inequalities and help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Read more:

• The Guardian: NHS to offer free high-street cholesterol tests in England
• The Mirror: Blood test now offered at pharmacies to detect ‘ticking timebomb’ high cholesterol
• The Sun: Free NHS cholesterol tests rolled out at high street pharmacies to catch silent killer early
• Free cholesterol tests expanded to 70 east London pharmacies