had their blood cholesterol levels checked before, emphasising the urgent need for accessible, community-based screening.
The impact has been immediate, as 99 per cent of participants found the screening more convenient than visiting their GP, ensuring that early detection is both easy and effective. Among those screened, 60 per cent had high total cholesterol, 23 per cent had high triglycerides( fat levels found in the body), and 16 per cent had high non-HDL cholesterol, all key risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Crucially, the programme prioritises reaching those most at risk, including people from Black and South Asian communities, individuals with severe mental illness or learning disabilities, those in deprived areas, and men aged 40-59 and women aged 35- 55. By seeking out these demographics in the community, we are bringing healthcare to them, accessing people who wouldn’ t have been screened without this innovation and relieving pressure on primary care services.
Our role has been to fund some of the point of care tests, ensuring immediate results, working with local Primary Care Networks to identify potential sites for further screening rollouts and facilitating discussions with the West Yorkshire ICB to align with regional strategy.
52 Transforming Lives Through Innovation