Digital health diagnostics company PocDoc has announced the launch of a smartphone-based test for type 2 diabetes risk.<\/b><\/p>\n
The test is being piloted in the north east of England and North Cumbria as part of a project commissioned by Health Innovation Northeast and North Cumbria<\/a> (HI NENC).<\/p>\n Professor Julia Newton, medical director at HI NENC, said: \u201cType 2 diabetes impacts thousands of individuals across the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is a disease which can be easily prevented and reversed through early detection, dietary and lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cDigital testing services like PocDoc\u2019s will make it easier for thousands of people to identify their risk of this disease, at the touch of a button.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re delighted to be the first to pilot this revolutionary product in the UK, which has the potential to save thousands of lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The service combines the HbA1c biomarker \u2013 the gold standard blood test for diabetes, providing patients with a measure of average blood sugar levels for the previous two to three months \u2013 with PocDoc<\/a>\u2019s proprietary smartphone technology.<\/p>\n Patients provide a finger-prick blood sample, which they place on PocDoc\u2019s patented microfluidic assay (MFA).\u00a0<\/p>\n Using the PocDoc app, the patient scans the MFA and receives their result almost immediately, enabling them to learn about their risk of the disease in minutes, in contrast to a process which can currently take weeks or months.\u00a0<\/p>\n Steve Roest, chief executive at PocDoc, said: \u201cExpanding into type 2 diabetes prevention marks the next step in PocDoc\u2019s mission to advance preventative care for chronic diseases.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cEnabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app is something that has never been done before.<\/p>\n \u201cIt demonstrates the power of PocDoc\u2019s patented technology and it also aligns directly with the NHS\u2019s three key shifts \u2013 enabling earlier detection and prevention, delivering more personalised care pathways, and moving testing and diagnosis into community and home settings.<\/p>\n \u201cThis approach doesn\u2019t just improve patient access; it helps ease pressure on frontline services and supports a more sustainable, digitally enabled NHS.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re excited to see the results of the roll-out with our NHS partners in the Northeast and North Cumbria, before we take the product to market across the rest of the UK later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n Type 2 diabetes has been on the rise in the UK with around 5.2 million people diagnosed and a further 1.3m thought to be undiagnosed, according to figures from Diabetes UK<\/a>. <\/p>\n This costs the NHS more than \u00a38.8bn a year, according to figures from the UK Security Agency<\/a>, with research from the University of York<\/a> suggesting that the annual cost of the disease could increase to \u00a316.9bn in the next 25 years.<\/p>\n PocDoc says that its technology aligns with the government\u2019s 10 year health plan<\/a>, published on 3 July 2025, which focuses on home and community-based digital prevention.<\/p>\n The test follows the launch of PocDoc\u2019s flagship product, the Healthy Heart Check<\/a>, an at-home finger-prick test for cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n