Vascular checks to be offered in pharmacies

Vascular checks are to be made available to everyone aged between 40 and 74 in settings such as community pharmacies, the government has announced.

Health secretary Alan Johnson has claimed that a national programme which seeks to identify those at risk of heart attacks and strokes could prevent as many as 9,500 such casualties a year.

Furthermore, it could save up to 2,000 lives annually, he asserted.

Commenting on the announcement, associate chief medical officer Bill Kirkup remarked that the checks will be made available through pharmacies, GPs and other community settings to increase the convenience and ease with which the public can access them.

“All too often, people with the worst health have the poorest access to GPs. We want a system that will encourage them to take part and help to reduce the health gap between rich and poor,” he added.

Paul Bennett, chairman of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said the extension of the services on offer from pharmacies is good news as 99 per cent of people can reach one within 20 minutes.