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The makers of a test-and-treat product for urinary tract infections (UTIs) who partnered with the NHS last year to launch a community pharmacy-based service have begun marketing their product directly to patients in their homes during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Healthy.io ran community pharmacy pilots last year for a testing service combining a urine dipstick test with a smartphone-based urine analysis app.

The company has launched a new service called Velieve, which involves sending out test kits to women's homes and having an online clinician review the dipstick results, with a 'virtual nurse' guiding women through the process. If antibiotics are required they can be ordered and delivered to a patient €within hours,€ the company claims.

The new home testing service is initially being rolled out in London, with the kit and GP consultation costing £10 and antibiotics deliveries costing £15.

Healthy.io UK managing director Katherine Ward said the service was €effective and safe€ and would help women test and treat UTIs without leaving their homes, helping €reduce the burden on an already stretched NHS dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic€.

A recent study found that community pharmacy based test-and-treat services offered timely and effective care to women while reducing unnecessary GP consultations.