Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Blood pressureConditionsCardiacStroke

Pharmacies in England to offer blood pressure checks

by Ashleigh Webber 24 Aug 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 24 Aug 2021 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Every high street NHS pharmacy in England will begin offering blood pressure checks to people aged 40 and over in the autumn.

The NHS estimated that 3,700 strokes and 2,500 heart attacks could be prevented over the next five years as a result of the additional testing capacity, potentially saving around 2,000 lives.

It said that if 2.5 million people get their blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy, an additional 250,000 cases of hypertension are likely to be uncovered and treated.

“More high street heart checks for blood pressure will mean more rapid detection of killer conditions and quicker treatment for patients who need it,” said professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director.

“The NHS long term plan aims to crack down on killer conditions and this action by pharmacy teams will go a long way in helping us achieve our ambitions of saving more lives.”

Dr Shahed Ahmad, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention, said: “Cardiovascular disease claims 136,000 lives a year and is a major cause of health inequalities with about half of heart attacks and strokes are associated with high blood pressure.

Cardiovascular conditions

Pandemic backlog of delayed heart care could take five years to clear

Helping employers to reduce preventable disease post pandemic

Long working hours leading to heart disease and stroke

“The detection and control of high blood pressure is one of the best things we can do to save lives and reduce health inequalities. Community pharmacists are ideally placed to deliver this life saving work and I am delighted they are now offering blood pressure checks.”

Pharmacists will also be able to provide clinical and lifestyle advice or referral to GPs and other local services, which the NHS said would speed up access to care.

The service could help alleviate the backlog of care needs following the Covid-19 pandemic, said British Heart Foundation director of policy and influencing John Maingay.

“We estimate that there are up to 4.8 million people in the UK living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, and most people don’t know they have it until they get it measured by a healthcare professional,” he said.

“This breakthrough programme will also help with the devastating burden of backlog to care left by the Covid-19 pandemic, which could see the number of people waiting for heart care and diagnosis peak at around 550,385 in January 2024.”

Community pharmacy teams will also take an expanded role in supporting people diagnosed with heart failure, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, gout and osteoporosis, who will now be able to access advice about how to get the most from newly prescribed medicines.

From next year, pharmacies will begin offering NHS smoking cessation services to people who have recently been discharged from hospital. Patients will be offered support sessions over 12 weeks with a trained pharmacist.

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor at OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Retail bodies urge action over violence and abuse
next post
Rethink office kitchens to support staff with smell loss

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Men’s Health Week 2022: What should employers do?

13 Jun 2022

Warning of heightened blood clot risk for six...

8 Apr 2022

Employer focus on stress risks overlooking heart health

21 Mar 2022

Two-thirds of shift workers feel health affected by...

18 Mar 2022

A third of Britons face obesity postcode lottery,...

7 Mar 2022

Some diabetes drugs can protect against heart failure

21 Feb 2022

NHS cardiac waiting lists continuing to lengthen, warns...

14 Feb 2022

Many thousands at risk from undiagnosed aortic stenosis

28 Jan 2022

Academics warn of adult health burden if children’s...

28 Jan 2022

More than quarter of a million waiting for...

14 Jan 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+