NHS Sussex highlights progress in hypertension management on World Hypertension Day and urges those at risk to get checked

World Hypertension Day (17 May 2024) is dedicated to highlighting the importance of monitoring blood pressure and bringing global awareness to the 1 billion people living with high blood pressure worldwide.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects one in four people in England. It often has no symptoms and the first sign could be as serious as a heart attack or stroke.

It is the biggest risk factor for heart disease, stroke, renal complications, and premature death, and more than 140 heart attacks and over 200 strokes could be avoided in Sussex through better management of diagnosed hypertension.

Health and care partners have really progressed NHS Sussex’s system approach to hypertension in the last year, with it being a clear area of focus and priority for the system. There has been extensive work across all partners to increase detection and improve management, and there has been real progress.

An initiative to support people to monitor their blood pressure regularly – called BP@Home – has helped 44,750 people to share their blood pressure results routinely with their GP practice. This means that there can be much closer monitoring and hypertension can be identified quickly.

Through these checks, many patients have been diagnosed with hypertension and started on medication that will help them, and who would have otherwise remained undiagnosed and at risk of worsening health.

NHS Sussex has seen a significant improvement in the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure and having their condition managed. This figure increased from 57.1% in March 2021/22 to 67.3% in 2022/23.

Further to this, last year, a new service was launched by NHS Sussex and Community Pharmacy Surrey and Sussex to help people at risk of high blood pressure. Patients over the age of 40 and those that had previously raised blood pressure recorded at their GP surgery have been invited via a secure text messaging system to check their blood pressure either using a home blood pressure monitor or visiting a participating pharmacy.

Over 2690 text message invitations were sent to people to provide readings. This resulted in 77 patients being diagnosed with raised blood pressure or hypertension that was then managed by their GP. These cases may have been previously otherwise undiagnosed and meant that the person was at risk of worsening health.

Hypertension can be prevented, and managed, by checking blood pressure regularly and through treatment.

Getting checked is quick and painless and if readings are high, people can be promptly referred to their doctor for treatment and support to bring it under control.

Local community pharmacies that are signed up to the NHS Blood Pressure Check Service are offering free checks to adults aged over 40 with no history of high blood pressure and those aged under 30-39 with a family history of high blood pressure.

A spokesperson for NHS Sussex, said: “Hypertension is the third-biggest risk factor for premature death and disability, and is a leading cause of heart attack and stroke. In Sussex only 64.6% of those who are estimated to have hypertension know that they have it and are actively being supported, so we are encouraging people with high blood pressure to take the opportunity and get checked either at a pharmacy or at their GP surgery.”

Find out more about managing blood pressure.