The NHS will begin rolling out seven-minute cholesterol checks in around 100 community pharmacies across England this autumn, in a move designed to identify people at risk of heart disease and stroke sooner. The programme is aimed at adults aged 40 to 84 who are not pregnant and have not had a blood test in the past year, with eligible patients able to walk into participating pharmacies for a quick pin-prick test.
According to NHS England, the test will analyse a person’s cholesterol profile in just seven minutes. A pharmacist prescriber will then be able to offer lifestyle advice and determine whether treatment is needed. Participants will also receive a blood pressure check during the same clinical consultation, and their results will be sent by email.
A pharmacy-led approach to earlier detection
The national rollout follows a smaller pilot in north London carried out by Barts Health NHS Trust in collaboration with UCLPartners and HEART UK. That pilot tested 2,493 patients at 61 community pharmacies between January 2025 and March 2026, and 19% were found to be suitable for pharmacological intervention. In total, 88 people started on statins following the checks.
NHS England said the new service is part of a wider drive to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths by a quarter over the next decade. By bringing the checks into high street pharmacies, the health service is aiming to make assessment more accessible for people who may not otherwise book a GP appointment for routine cardiovascular risk screening.
What patients can expect
For eligible patients, the process is designed to be fast and straightforward. After a simple finger-prick sample is taken, the pharmacy team will review the results, discuss next steps and, where appropriate, advise on medication or changes to diet and lifestyle. The pilot is scheduled to continue until spring 2027.
The rollout also reflects the NHS’s growing use of community pharmacies for preventive care. The same network has recently been used to widen access to other frontline services, with the aim of reducing pressure on general practice while catching health problems earlier.
As the expansion begins, the focus will be on whether rapid pharmacy-based testing can help identify thousands more people with elevated cholesterol before they develop more serious cardiovascular disease. If the programme performs as expected, it could become another permanent feature of routine NHS care.
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