Free heart checks will become available in pharmacies throughout the UK from October, to enable on-the-spot detection of an unhealthy heart.
This comes as part of an initiative by the NHS in England aimed at early detection of fatal conditions including heart disease and stroke.
From next month, selected chemists will begin rolling out the "rapid detection service", which will include cholesterol and blood pressure checks, along with testing to search for irregular heartbeats.
The plan, which will also aid GPs in work on early detection of heart disease, is part of a £4.5 billion package of extra investment in primary and community care.
"Heart disease and strokes dramatically cut short lives, and leave thousands of people disabled every year, so rapid detection of killer conditions through high street heart checks will be a game-changer," said NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis.
England's most senior doctor claims that the tests will aim to help pharmacies prevent up to 150,000 heart attacks and strokes within a decade.
Pilot schemes in Lambeth and Southwark in South London reportedly identified more than 1,400 patients suffering from atrial fibrillation - an abnormal heart rhythm - who should have been taking blood thinning medication.
Out of these patients, 1,300 have now been given the medication, resulting in a reduction in the rate of strokes linked to their condition by a quarter.
"Reducing lifestyle risks and treating high-risk conditions such as smoking, obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity are key to preventing serious ill-health," said Professor Powis.
"The NHS Long Term Plan will help people take positive action for their own well-being, while investing in life-changing services, close to home, when ill-health hits."
Heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer, with deaths from heart attacks, strokes and circulatory diseases accounting for 160,000 deaths in the UK every year.
Doctors hope that making it quicker and easier for people to get tested will help reduce the risk of this deadly disease.
If successful, the programme will be broadened to every pharmacy in England by 2022.
Last week it was reported that fat deposited around around the waist carries a greater risk of heart disease than an overall high body mass index (BMI).
