A REGIONWIDE drive gets under way today to help people over 40 protect themselves against the hidden threat of high blood pressure, one of the biggest causes of premature death in the South West. 

Supermarkets, sports matches, libraries, workplaces, festivals and concerts will be hosting simple and free NHS blood pressure checks. 

Anyone with high blood pressure – known as the ‘silent killer’ as it rarely has symptoms - can then be managed by their doctor or even manage their own condition through lifestyle changes. 

Big steps have been taken over recent months, with 37,505 additional patients tested and treated between September 2023 and March 2024 – three times as many as in the same period the year before.

Many local pharmacies are now offering free blood pressure checks and people can check what the result might mean using the NHS blood pressure checker 

But more effort is needed to reach those who are still unaware of their high risk. 

That’s why the seven health and care systems in the south west have ramped up blood pressure checks. 

Libraries, sports venues, factories, supermarkets and music events as well as a farmers’ market are among the places offering the free blood pressure checks. 

Dr Michael Marsh, Regional Medical Director for NHS England South West, said: ‘You could think of high blood pressure in your blood vessels like the water pressure in a garden hose - when the water flows through the hose normally everything is fine.

‘But if you put your finger on the end and block the flow, the pressure builds and you may get leaks from the hose. 

‘When you have high blood pressure this can have a detrimental impact on your organs and puts you at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

‘Left undetected and untreated high blood pressure becomes a silent killer, because it rarely has symptoms. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get it checked.’ 

The drive coincides with Blood Pressure UK’s Know Your Numbers! Week which runs until September 8, and will continue throughout the month. 

Professor Margaret Rae, NHS England South West’s Deputy Director of Regional Health Programmes, said: ‘About a third of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many will not realise it.

‘We have made great progress in the numbers of people that have been seen and treated for high blood pressure but more must be done.’

In the South West, identifying an additional 83,700 people, who may have high blood pressure, could prevent 503 heart attacks and 749 strokes, saving the NHS approximately £14 million.

People are usually considered to have high blood pressure if they are aged under 80 years old and the reading is either 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional or 135/85 or higher when checked at home. 

For more information on the importance of a blood pressure check, knowing what those numbers mean and what to do next, visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/our-work/blood-pressure/