A Southall pharmacist who has worked with his local football club for four years is helping its players get access to heart checks that can be harder to arrange outside the professional game.
Around 40 Southall FC players and staff will be screened on Thursday (22 October 2026) at Rectory Park, Ruislip Road, Northolt, with local businesses and club sponsors paying for the tests.
It will be the first time the club has organised cardiac screening for its players and staff.
Rahul Puri, superintendent pharmacist and pharmacist independent prescriber at Puri Pharmacy, which operates in Southall and Hillingdon, said the idea grew out of his relationship with Southall FC and his interest in sport.
Mr Puri said: “I don’t believe a player should have to reach the professional leagues before their club can explore access to cardiac screening.”
The tests will involve an electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the heart’s electrical activity and can pick up certain abnormalities that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Puri Pharmacy will record the ECGs before sending them to specialist provider Cardiologic for interpretation by UK cardiologists. Lenira Health will also provide finger-prick blood tests using PocDoc technology.
The pharmacy normally charges clubs £37 plus VAT per person for an ECG, including specialist interpretation and a report. Southall FC’s players and staff won’t have to pay, with local businesses and club sponsors picking up the bill.
Mr Puri said: “Every weekend, thousands of people across the country take part in competitive grassroots sport. They train hard, look after their fitness and represent their clubs, but they don’t necessarily have access to the same specialist healthcare opportunities as professional athletes.”
The importance of heart screening is highlighted by figures from the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which says at least 12 people aged 35 and under die each week in the UK from previously undiagnosed heart conditions.
Mr Puri is now hoping to bring the service to other clubs and is already in discussions with sporting organisations, including an athletics club, about arranging further screening sessions.
He said: “I don’t believe a player should have to reach the professional leagues before their club can explore access to cardiac screening.”
