PocDoc: Powering prevention through digital health screening
Find out how PocDoc is reimagining how the NHS and communities approach prevention by bringing heart and diabetes screening into homes, workplaces, and pharmacies, and how being a Fellow is supporting this journey.
Co-Founder and CEO of PocDoc, Steve Roest, became a Fellow in 2025 and has been driving the adoption of the innovation across the NHS. The digital platform empowers people to act early, supports overstretched NHS services, and drives the shift towards proactive, preventative care.
What is PocDoc and what problem does it solve?
PocDoc is the UK’s leading digital platform for community, workplace, and at-home screening for cardiovascular disease (CVD), built around its flagship Healthy Heart Check. The service allows individuals to complete a full heart health assessment – including cholesterol, BMI, and a 10-year CVD risk score – in under 10 minutes using just a finger-prick blood test.
Through its platform, PocDoc has delivered more QRISK3 (a person’s 10-year risk of having a heart attack or stroke) scores nationwide than any other provider, directly supporting the NHS’s goal of shifting towards prevention, community care, and digital delivery. With heart and circulatory diseases causing 170,000 deaths each year, the innovation helps identify risk early, reduce hospital admissions, and save lives.
Clinically validated and regulated as a medical device, the test provides hospital-grade accuracy and integrates directly with NHS systems, including the NHS App, allowing results to be shared securely with GPs. It is also the only finger-prick test on the market that delivers an NHS gold-standard lipid profile, making high-quality heart health screening available in homes, workplaces, and pharmacies.
Recently, the team launched the world’s first smartphone-based HbA1c test, enabling rapid screening for type 2 diabetes, another major cause of illness and cost to the NHS. This new service combines the HbA1c biomarker with the NHS diabetes risk assessment tool, powered by PocDoc’s digital platform.
“We’re making heart and diabetes checks fast, easy, and accessible, therefore helping people take control of their health earlier, and supporting the NHS to focus on prevention.”
“We’re making heart and diabetes checks fast, easy, and accessible, therefore helping people take control of their health earlier, and supporting the NHS to focus on prevention.”
What was your inspiration and motivation?
The journey began with a deeply personal experience. As a child, Steve witnessed his father suffer a major stroke caused by undiagnosed cardiovascular disease. The impact on his family, and the realisation that many chronic diseases go unnoticed until it’s too late, sparked a lifelong interest in early detection and prevention.
Later, meeting two co-founders who were pioneering new microfluidic testing technology turned that motivation into action. Together, they saw how combining science and technology could create a scalable, affordable solution that saves lives.
“The NHS spends more on cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases than anything else, yet so much of that burden is preventable. Knowing we can help address that is what drives us every day.”
Steve Roest, Co-Founder and CEO, PocDoc
Why did you become a Fellow?
Becoming an NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) fellow is both recognition and opportunity. For the PocDoc team, it validates years of work to develop, test, and scale their innovations across NHS and community settings.
The fellowship provides access to mentors, peers, and system leaders who help refine strategy, build evidence, and accelerate adoption. It’s also a reminder that innovation in healthcare is never a solo journey, it takes community and collaboration to create lasting impact.
“Being an NIA Fellow is a privilege. It motivates me to continue pushing boundaries, remain patient-centred in every decision, and think boldly about how we can transform preventative care in the UK and beyond.”
Looking ahead
The future for PocDoc is about scale and integration. The innovaton is already delivering record-breaking uptake across regions like Cumbria, where over 90% of invitees completed a Healthy Heart Check, and aims to replicate that success across Integrated Care Systems nationwide.
Developing partnerships with retail pharmacy groups including Boots, Superdrug, ASDA, Well Pharmacy, and Dears Pharmacy will make preventative screening even more accessible on local high streets.
Internationally, PocDoc plans to expand into markets facing similar challenges around cardiovascular and diabetes care, helping more people understand their risk and take action earlier.
“Our goal is to embed heart and diabetes checks into everyday life, on high streets, in workplaces, and at home, so millions can take control of their health earlier.”
Want to find out more? Visit the innovation page where you can contact the innovator directly, or check out their website.
