A project in Greater Manchester is helping to identify patients at high cardiovascular risk, thanks to an instant finger-prick test being delivered in a community setting.

The Lipids Optimisation Point of Care Testing (POCT) project, delivered as part of the Health Innovation Accelerator, is delivering tests in community settings for cholesterol, allowing residents across Greater Manchester to attend for a test where results are delivered instantly and shared directly with primary care colleagues for action.

The Accelerator encompasses two projects, the Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator and the DEVOTE programme, delivered through a partnership between Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), The University of Manchester, and industry partners.

The POCT project is helping to identify patients quickly and at an early stage of intervention, whilst also helping to reduce inequalities for communities who often don’t engage with the healthcare system in traditional ways such as visits to a GP.

To date, over 360 tests have been conducted in community settings across Greater Manchester in collaboration with community and voluntary sector groups. Early indications from the testing suggests that there are high levels of unmanaged lipids that may have gone undetected if it were not for the community sessions.

Of those who received the test in a community setting 50% were identified as having a risk of high cholesterol, whilst 26% of those who tested were identified with having high blood pressure. Following these tests, over 330 patients received an onward referral to a GP – equating to 90% of the total amount of tests.

The testing opportunity is currently targeting localities in Greater Manchester with high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is using creative approaches to co-design the service in collaboration with community and voluntary sector groups, such as Manchester Winning Hearts & Minds, BHA For Equality and CAHN – Caribbean & African Health Network CIC.

Olayemi Komolafe from Gorton in Manchester heard about the testing opportunity through word of mouth and leaflets that had been handed out in her local community. She decided to join CAHN and undergo a full NHS health check which included the Lipids POCT – she explained:

“My experience attending the session was good, straight forward – I was able to register, I sat down and waited for my turn. For someone that doesn’t like needles I was impressed when they (the healthcare professional) explained to me that it was going to be a small prick on my finger to take the test… I got the results immediately.

“I can encourage everyone to take up such sessions, not only do they do the tests for you, but they can also make referrals which gives you better access to see your General Practitioner (GP). I highly recommend for people to attend such sessions.”

Having access to screening and health checks in a community setting is something that Valerie believes is the way forward for groups and demographics across Greater Manchester who don’t traditionally engage with the health and care system, and in those at higher risk of cardiovascular issues. She said:

“Within minutes you’ve got your results. It’s really important in our community, I’m Caribbean in origin and my parent are from Jamaica. I found that this was really good and for a lot of people, it would give them the segway to go and talk to their doctor because the results are sent on, to then go and get treated. It’s getting to people who wouldn’t normally go to their doctors.

“There are a lot of people that go that might say they’re only coming here because it’s here and they know that CAHN do screenings sometimes at Churches or on Sunday’s, so you’re accessing people that wouldn’t normally expect to be accessed. They’re already there, so why not (get checked) they’re not having to take time out of work, or that kind of thing. So, it’s really important that when we have the opportunity, that we do engage because I know for a fact that some of the screenings that have been done have saved lives.”

Dr Paula Bennett, Chief Nurse & Clinical Director (Interim) at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “This project is a shining example of how collaboration with partners across health innovation, the voluntary sector and public health experts can create novel and accessible solutions for patients who don’t traditionally engage with our local health services. Without this collaborative approach and in particular the health checks that have been delivered by our partners in the community and voluntary sectors, the people we reached would not have known they had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Simon Watts, Consultant in Public Health at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: “We know that cardiovascular disease is prevalent across Greater Manchester, so this work to support earlier identification of patients is incredibly important. How we engage with residents can often have a lasting impact on how they interact with health services; community engagement is vital to building trust between health providers and communities.

“If we want to continue to reduce health inequalities, particularly for people with high cardiovascular risk across Greater Manchester, continuing to support our community partners to engage with local resident is critical. I believe that the progress we’ve made through the point-of-care testing to date shows just how important it is to identify patients at an early stage, as we are then able to intervene at a time when the correct care can have the biggest, lasting impact on people’s health outcomes. Through our work on this, and previous community-based projects, people have been identified through community testing and then referred on to receive further treatment and care.”

The Health Innovation Accelerator

This project is delivered as part of a series of projects that looks to address Greater Manchester’s major morbidities for the Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator (ADA), part of the Health Innovation Accelerator. The Health Innovation Accelerator has been established to rapidly improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease across the 2.8m Greater Manchester population.

The Health Innovation Accelerator encompasses two projects, the Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator and the DEVOTE programme, delivered through a partnership between Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), The University of Manchester, and industry partners.

This project is part-funded by the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator programme. Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerator programme invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects between 2022-25 to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation ecosystems – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. The programme was boosted by an additional £30m of public funding for 2025/26 spread equally across the regions. Innovation Accelerators are piloting a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local partnerships to harness innovation to drive regional economic growth, attract private investment, and develop future technologies.