Blood pressure action plan update
Blood pressure experts update their action plan to tackle high blood pressure
Public Health England has joined forces with health professionals, scientists, charities and Government experts to update their plan to take on high blood pressure.
The plan was first developed in 2014 when Public Health England revealed that diseases caused by high blood pressure cost the NHS £2 billion a year. PHE and a board of blood pressure experts used their experience and scientific evidence to create the plan, which sets out how health professionals, local governments and charities can take action to prevent high blood pressure, find those who have it and improve treatment.
This January, with advice from experts including ourselves, PHE has updated the action plan, aiming to prevent over 9,000 heart attacks and 14,000 strokes over the next three years.
The plan includes including regular blood pressure tests as part of routine care from GPs as well as more opportunistic testing in pharmacies, workplaces, community centres and gyms to find those with high blood pressure. It also promotes work to prevent it, including raising awareness of high blood pressure and healthy lifestyle programmes.
Katharine Jenner, CEO of Blood Pressure UK, explains: “High blood pressure is responsible for more than half of all strokes and heart attacks in the UK, that’s why it’s so important that teams across charities, the NHS, the Government, pharmacies and community groups all work together and take action to beat it.
“Researchers are making progress in advancing treatment, pharmacies are taking on a more active role in the health of their communities while health professionals, community groups and charities continue to work hard to find and support those with high blood pressure.”
Read the updated action plan here