An East London community health pilot has uncovered hidden cardiovascular disease risk in people who would otherwise have missed routine NHS health checks, highlighting the potential for taking preventative healthcare directly into local communities.
One in five people who received a health check through the pilot were found to be at elevated risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years.
The pilot also successfully reached people who would otherwise have gone without vital screening.
More than three quarters (77%) of the 687 participants said they would not otherwise have accessed a preventative health check, while more than a quarter (27%) were found to have high or borderline high cholesterol despite around 80% reporting no previously diagnosed health conditions.
Operating across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Thurrock, the nine-week programme enabled healthcare professionals to carry out cholesterol testing and cardiovascular risk assessments in minutes from a clinically equipped mobile health unit.
The programme used PocDoc’s rapid diagnostic platform and was independently evaluated by PUBLIC. The evaluation also found it successfully engaged groups traditionally underrepresented in preventative healthcare.
Sixty per cent of attendees were men, while more than half came from ethnic groups at increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Almost all participants said they left with a better understanding of their health, while 97% said they would use similar community health services again.
The pilot was commissioned by Thames Freeport and delivered by Avencera, with clinical services provided by community pharmacists from CP NEL and CP Essex.
The evaluation concludes that the pilot provides a strong foundation for wider deployment, recommending closer integration with NHS referral pathways, improved follow-up of patients and expansion into other areas of preventative care, including respiratory health, women’s health, mental health and occupational wellbeing.
