NHS is backing a campaign urging people to check their blood pressure regularly
The charity Blood Pressure UK is running its annual ‘Know Your Numbers’ Week campaign from 5-11 September 2022.
People with undiagnosed and uncontrolled high Blood Pressure (BP) are more at risk from serious health issues such as stroke and heart attack.
The campaign is asking people to use a simple, reliable blood pressure monitor to measure their BP at home – and if necessary to get support and modify their lifestyle, and if required to bring it under control through medication.
The charity website provides advice on buying inexpensive BP monitors to use at home, where to get them, how to use them and what to do with the information they provide – see here
Dr Heike Veldtman, Cardio Vascular Disease Lead at Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), said: “Home monitoring offers a way for people to take control of their health, feel confident, and take the pressure off the NHS at the same time. It gives you a practical way to ‘Know Your Numbers’ without visiting your GP or pharmacist. It puts you in the driver’s seat, and it really can save lives.”
Heike added: “Regular monitoring, especially for those with high blood pressure, will ensure potential problems can be detected early. Uncontrolled blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.
“If you already have high blood pressure or take medication to control your blood pressure, our advice is to check your own blood pressure, which can be done through home monitoring. Some pharmacies in your local area can also check blood pressure and will be able to also offer support and advice getting your high blood pressure down. Health care professionals can also check blood pressure and give advice on reducing it. The benefits include improved quality of life and reduced risk of serious illness.
“For people aged 40 and over without a diagnosis of high blood pressure, we would recommend having your blood pressure checked every three to five years. This might be more frequent for those people at higher risk including those who are overweight or obese, people with diabetes, or have a significant family history of hypertension”
More information
- To view a list of local pharmacies taking part in the BOB ICB community pharmacy BP programme see here
- For advice and resources on how to measure your blood press at home see here or visit: https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/how-to-measure-your-blood-pressure-at-home/
- To view translated blood pressure information developed by Blood Pressure UK including in Urdu, Pudjabi, Chinese and Polish see here
- To view translated videos on ‘The Benefits of remote blood pressure monitoring’ developed by UCLPartners which include in Urdu and Punjabi see here
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