What is the role of London Medical Laboratory (LML) in the healthcare sector?

LML is the first omnichannel blood testing, diagnostic, and phlebotomy business in the UK. We’re an industry disruptor offering health check and blood testing services in franchised high street health stores and licensed pharmacies, and finger-prick home blood tests direct to customers ordered online and sent through the mail.

Our convenient direct-to-customer self-testing kits give people easy access to blood, Covid-19 and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests that people can do in the comfort of their homes and post the samples back to us. Our tests cover a wide range of conditions – from cholesterol and thyroid profiles, through to fertility, menopause, and heart health – with next-day results.

You are the founder and Co-CEO of LML. What does your role entail?

I founded LML together with my husband, Dr Seth Rankin, in 2016. We work with a nationwide network of pharmacies and clinics offering every method there is to get blood tests done. We provide phlebotomy training to all of our sites so that anyone can have their blood taken and couriered back to our laboratory and processed overnight. This means that anyone, anywhere in the UK can have their results sent back to them the next day with a doctor’s commentary attached.

We also provide a wide range of finger-prick blood testing kits which can be purchased online, or off the shelf, with results similarly returned the day of arrival in our laboratory. Because we are vertically integrated and own the entire pathway, we are able to guarantee reliability and excellent customer service.

LML’s mission is to make blood testing easily accessible and improve our country’s health statistics. Access to blood tests can save lives.

More people are investing in private healthcare and medical insurance. Have you noticed any of these changes? If so, how have they affected your company?

There has been a significant rise in patient awareness regarding self-testing. Millennials have become the ‘wellness generation’ and the increasing elderly population needs better access to testing.

Just as consumers abandoned the high street for online stores during the pandemic, so many looked for effective alternatives, such as regular blood testing, to avoid GP surgeries during the height of lockdowns. People realised how effective and reassuring regular blood tests can be, and we are constantly introducing new tests to give people a comprehensive picture of their current health.

We are currently expanding rapidly and have plenty of ideas for the future. We are scaling up our range of tests rapidly – from new comprehensive allergy tests to a wider range of hormone tests – to be easily available in high street shops so that everyone has quick and easy access to blood tests and general health checks.

There has been a significant rise in patient awareness regarding self-testing. Millennials have become the ‘wellness generation’ and the increasing elderly population needs better access to testing.

We are involved with many organisations’ staff healthcare programmes and we’re making our tests available in an ever-increasing range of pharmacies and health food stores. LML is actively looking for new pharmacy partners across the UK who want to access these new services.

As well as the growth in individual private healthcare, there has been a significant increase in the number of companies we work with who are also investing in their employees’ healthcare. That makes sense. A healthy team is a high-performing team with fewer sick days and higher retention rates. Companies that look after their people and, in particular, their health, tend to be successful.

One company that you work with is travel risk management and assistance services firm International SOS. How does your company work with those in the travel and assistance sector? What services do you offer to them?

We work closely with our clients in the travel and assistance sector to provide clinical laboratory and diagnostic services. These take many forms including immunological tests, microbiology and infectious diseases tests, and general blood tests.

We also deliver personalised and bespoke services to address specific requirements. We have an extensive logistical network and are well placed to work towards time-sensitive deadlines for clients.

The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated working very closely with a wide range of companies, ranging from the travel industry to film production. The experience has made us extremely responsive to travel and assistance companies’ needs and requirements.

In a recent article in ITIJ, LML’s Clinical Lead, Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan, explained the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. What are your views on AI in the healthcare industry and the roles it can play?

AI will prove invaluable to healthcare, and we shouldn’t be afraid of embracing it. For example, it has a vital role to play in improving diagnostics. AI methods, including deep learning (DL) algorithms, are already widely used globally in the prediction and diagnosis of several diseases, especially those whose diagnosis is based on imaging.

My ultimate vision is for blood testing to be available in every pharmacy and healthcare shop throughout the country

AI can also improve access to care. For example, telemedicine services powered by AI can provide remote consultations and diagnoses, making it easier for patients to access care without having to travel. Patients often have questions outside typical surgery hours; AI can help provide around-the-clock support through chatbots that can answer basic questions and give patients resources when their practice isn’t open.

The AI healthcare market is already a billion-dollar industry. In the future it could also pave the way for the growth of precision medicine. AI could study patients’ medical history, preferences and personal needs and integrate this with their DNA genetic profiles.

That’s not as far in the future as you may imagine. The first fruits of DNA-based investigations are already here. Our own new DNA Genotype Profile Test provides insights into nutrition, traits, fitness, and health from our genetic blueprint. A single saliva sample allows each of us to know more about ourselves and facilitates the creation of personalised wellness products and plans, so we can make better decisions for a healthier future.

What is the future for healthcare services provisioners, like LML, in the ever-evolving world of healthcare?

We are currently expanding rapidly and I, and my talented team, have plenty of ideas for the future. I’ve just mentioned genotyping and the possibilities for tailored healthcare based on everyone’s unique genetic makeup are huge.

We’re also regularly releasing new tests for a wide variety of conditions from allergies to overall wellness profiles, and we’re increasingly involved with many organisations’ staff healthcare programmes. LML is actively looking for new pharmacy partners across the UK who want to access these new services and join our rapidly growing team.

My ultimate vision is for blood testing to be available in every pharmacy and healthcare shop throughout the country, enabling people to take charge of their health.