A fast, free cholesterol test, pioneered at Barts Health and now available at local pharmacies across east London, is helping people catch hidden heart risks early — potentially preventing heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers from Barts Heart Centre, part of Barts Health NHS Trust, and University College London, have shown that combining two scan technologies can detect a serious heart condition before symptoms and signs appear on current tests.

A Barts Health NHS Trust project which has cut the time spent in hospital for some heart attack patients by more than half has won a Health Service Journal award.