Innovating Community Diagnostics: How New Testing Technology Supports UK Pharmacies and Healthcare Systems

Community pharmacies are taking on an increasingly important role within the UK’s healthcare system. The NHS ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme reflects this shift towards delivering accessible care within the community, helping to reduce pressure on GP practices and hospitals. 

Diagnostics play a key role within this transition. 

For over 45 years, Bio-Diagnostics has worked alongside healthcare providers to improve access to comprehensive diagnostics, placing our expertise at the forefront of the growing demand for point-of-care testing. Pioneering accurate diagnostics within specialist sectors such as infectious disease, allergy and respiratory, we are seeing firsthand how new scientific and technological approaches are revolutionising the field. 

In the frontline, molecular diagnostics are creating new opportunities for direct infection testing in pharmacies: Logilet's ‘Logicore’ system uses single-test PCR technology to detect nine sexually transmitted infections in one hour. For patients, this means that diagnosis, treatment and partner notification can begin on the same day. The same platform has the power to integrate respiratory infection diagnostics into pharmacies, beginning a new era of point-of-care testing. 

With allergy care front and centre of new government guidance, Bio-Diagnostics’ established allergy services integrate seamlessly into existing pharmacy pathways. This provides high-quality, confirmatory testing from a small sample volume. During peak allergy seasons, pharmacies can utilise Bio-Diagnostics’ expert network to provide efficient diagnostic services, reinforcing the pharmacy’s role as a key point of contact for allergy care. 

Respiratory diagnostics represent one of the most promising areas for innovation in community pharmacy. The Bosch ‘Vivatmo FeNO system’ is the world's first phone-linked FeNO device, bringing objective airway inflammation measurement into a versatile portable format. Vivatmo highlights how pharmacies could become increasingly involved in asthma assessment, monitoring and long-term disease management. 

Bio-Diagnostics can help pharmacies redefine what community healthcare can deliver, providing the cutting-edge technology needed to innovate clinical services. 

Treatment begins with diagnosis.