The company says its Diabetes Health Check answers the need for rapid, convenient type 2 diabetes risk screening, which reaches those most at risk of developing this chronic illness. It is an easy-to-use service, designed to be used in the home, communities, workplaces and clinical environments.

The new service combines the HbA1c biomarker - the gold standard blood test for diabetes, providing patients with a measure of average blood sugar levels for the previous 2-3 months - with PocDoc's proprietary smartphone technology (PocDocOS).

Patients provide a finger-prick blood sample, which they place on PocDoc's patented microfluidic assay (MFA). Using the PocDoc app, the patient then scans the MFA and receives their result almost instantaneously, enabling them to learn about their risk of the disease in a matter of minutes, in contrast to a process which can currently take weeks or months.

The test is being piloted in the Northeast and North Cumbria as part of a testing project commissioned by the Health Innovation Northeast and North Cumbria.

Steve Roest, chief executive at PocDoc, said: 'Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app is something that has never been done before. It demonstrates the power of PocDoc's patented technology and it also aligns directly with the NHS's three key shifts - enabling earlier detection and prevention, delivering more personalised care pathways, and moving testing and diagnosis into community and home settings.

'This approach doesn't just improve patient access; it helps ease pressure on frontline services and supports a more sustainable, digitally enabled NHS.'

Professor Julia Newton, at Health Innovation Northeast and North Cumbria, said: 'Digital testing services like PocDoc's will make it easier for thousands of people to identify their risk of this disease, at the touch of a button. We're delighted to be the first to pilot this revolutionary product in the UK, which has the potential to save thousands of lives.'