Heart Health at Lindsay & Gilmour
How Healthy
Is Your Heart?
A quick finger-prick test at your local Lindsay & Gilmour pharmacy. Find out your cholesterol levels, heart age and risk of heart attack or stroke — no GP referral and no fasting needed.
Available at selected Lindsay & Gilmour pharmacies across Scotland
What is a Healthy Heart Check?
A Healthy Heart Check is a quick test of your cholesterol and heart health, carried out by a trained member of our pharmacy team in a private consultation room.
We use PocDoc — a finger-prick blood test that is read by a smartphone app. It measures five cholesterol markers, then uses your results and a few questions about your health and lifestyle to work out your heart age and your risk of a heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years.
High cholesterol usually has no symptoms, so a test is the only way to know your levels.
Who should have a Healthy Heart Check?
- Anyone aged 40 or over
- People with a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol
- Anyone with high blood pressure or diabetes
- Smokers, or people who have recently stopped
- Anyone who is overweight
- Anyone who has never had their cholesterol checked, or not for several years
Before your appointment
You don't need to fast — eat and drink as normal before your test.
Your appointment takes around [APPOINTMENT-LENGTH] and takes place in a private consultation room.
What Does the Check Measure?
You'll get a full picture of your cholesterol, plus two simple results that show what it means for your heart.
Your cholesterol profile
Total cholesterol
The overall amount of cholesterol in your blood.
HDL ("good") cholesterol
Helps remove cholesterol from your blood. Higher is generally better.
Non-HDL or LDL cholesterol
The cholesterol that can build up in your artery walls. Lower is generally better.
Triglycerides
A type of fat in your blood. High levels can increase your risk of heart disease.
Total cholesterol to HDL ratio
Compares your total cholesterol with your "good" cholesterol. A lower ratio is better.
Your heart health results
Heart age
Compares the age of your heart and blood vessels with your actual age. If your heart age is higher than your real age, your risk is higher than it should be.
10-year risk
Your chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years, based on your results and health information.
Coronary heart disease is Scotland's single biggest killer, and more than 800,000 people in Scotland are living with heart and circulatory diseases.
Source: British Heart Foundation, Scotland factsheet, 2026
What Happens During Your Check?
The check is quick and simple. Here's what to expect.
Health Questionnaire
Your pharmacist will ask a few questions about your health, lifestyle and family history — such as smoking, blood pressure and any existing conditions. These are used to work out your heart age and 10-year risk.
Blood Pressure Check
Your pharmacist will take your blood pressure. This is used alongside your cholesterol results to give a more accurate picture of your heart health.
Finger-Prick Test
A small drop of blood is taken from your fingertip and placed on the PocDoc test. It only takes a moment.
PocDoc finger-prick testTest Analysis
The test develops over a few minutes. The PocDoc app then reads it using a smartphone camera and calculates your results.
Results in under 10 minutesYour Results
Your pharmacist will go through your cholesterol levels, heart age and 10-year risk with you, explain what they mean and answer any questions.
What Happens Next?
Whatever your results, you'll leave knowing where you stand and what to do next.
Healthy Results
If your results are in a healthy range, your pharmacist will give advice on keeping your heart healthy and when to have your next check.
Raised Cholesterol
If your cholesterol is higher than recommended, your pharmacist will talk you through practical changes to diet, activity and lifestyle that can help bring it down.
Higher Heart Risk
If your 10-year risk is high, or your results suggest you may need treatment, we'll advise you to see your GP, who can decide whether you need further tests or treatment.
Why Choose Lindsay & Gilmour?
Lindsay & Gilmour pharmacies across Central Scotland, Fife and the Borders
PocDoc's accuracy has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal
PocDoc is used in NHS heart health partnerships in England
About PocDoc
PocDoc is a UK health technology company based in Cambridge. Its Healthy Heart Check combines a finger-prick test with a smartphone app to give lab-grade cholesterol results in minutes — without sending samples away to a lab.
The test is used by pharmacies across the UK and in NHS partnerships, and its accuracy has been published in a peer-reviewed journal in collaboration with the University of Sunderland.
Peer-reviewed accuracy · [CERTIFICATION] · Used in NHS partnerships
Book Your Healthy Heart Check
Find out your cholesterol levels, heart age and heart risk at your local Lindsay & Gilmour pharmacy. No GP referral or fasting needed.
Prefer to call in? Find your nearest pharmacy