The co-founder of a group of proposed “super pharmacies” has announced a partnership that will see “GP-type services” launched across its stores in the UK and Ireland.

Alitam CEO Feisal Nahaboo, who recently revealed plans to pump £1bn into the pharmacy group over the next five years to create a network of “super pharmacies,” has today announced a “strategic partnership” with Pharmadoctor, a company providing healthcare services out of pharmacies.

The services will be trialled across a select number of member stores “within weeks” and then rolled out across the Alitam network, the company said. They will include men’s and women’s health checks, a weight loss service, a travel clinic and hair loss treatment. 

This follows a recent announcement from the company concerning its plans to launch a pharmacogenomics service to reduce drug-gene interactions, as well as the appointment of former Avicenna director Bharti Patel as Alitam group executive director. 

Mr Nahaboo said: “This will be a milestone for healthcare in the UK and Ireland. Patients can walk into their local pharmacy and be assessed and treated for a range of health issues, typically provided by a GP.

“We will be directly addressing the difficulty patients have in getting an urgent appointment with their GP, or at their local hospital, and substantially reducing the burden on primary care as a result.”

Pharmadoctor CEO Graham Thoms said: “We have long known that, through innovative systems and training, pharmacies can offer so much more than people currently realise.

“I’m delighted that Alitam are implementing our highly effective tools and resources, with their reach across the UK and Ireland it will make a huge impact.

“Bharti and I are working closely together and achieving an enormous amount at speed. Speed is of the essence, as Alitam seeks to address issues like the NHS waiting lists of six million people.”