NHS England will roll out free seven-minute cholesterol checks to around 100 community pharmacies this autumn, after a north London pilot found about one in five people tested were at high risk of heart attack or stroke within 10 years.
People aged 40 to 84 will be eligible if they are not pregnant and have not had a blood test in the past year. Eligible patients can walk into participating pharmacies for a rapid finger-prick test.
The scheme aims to identify cardiovascular risk in people who may otherwise remain undiagnosed. It brings testing closer to patients through community pharmacies.
The test measures a person's cholesterol profile in about seven minutes using point-of-care equipment. Pharmacists will also offer eligible patients a blood pressure check. Results will be sent by email.
Pharmacists can discuss lifestyle changes after reviewing the results. They can refer patients for further assessment when needed. They may also consider cholesterol-lowering treatment where appropriate.
High cholesterol usually causes no symptoms, according to NHS guidance. A blood test is therefore needed to detect it. Raised cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
NHS guidance says healthy adults generally aim for total cholesterol below 5mmol/L and non-HDL cholesterol below 4mmol/L. Individual targets can differ. Clinicians also consider age, blood pressure and existing conditions.
The expansion follows testing led by Barts Health NHS Trust with UCLPartners and HEART UK. Between January 2025 and March 2026, the programme tested 2,493 patients across 61 community pharmacies.
NHS England said 19% of participants were suitable for medication. Eighty-eight people started taking statins during the programme.
UCLPartners had earlier reported that one in five people tested were at high risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years.
Chris Laing of UCLPartners said earlier detection helped pharmacies offer advice sooner. It also helped refer patients for treatment when needed.
Dr Sotiris Antoniou of Barts Health said scaling the model could help identify cardiovascular risk earlier. He said pharmacies could then respond with timely advice or treatment.
The programme will run until spring 2027. It forms part of a wider NHS effort to move more preventive and long-term care into community settings.
England's 10 Year Health Plan gives community pharmacies a larger role in cardiovascular screening. It also supports pharmacy involvement in managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
NHS England has set an ambition to cut premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by a quarter over the next decade. Its cardiovascular disease framework lists earlier prevention, diagnosis and treatment among the main priorities.
