We would like to share the Mid and South East Essex Integrated Care System's news release about the importance of blood pressure monitoring and healthy lifestyle change.
Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries, as it is pumped around your body.
The medical term for high blood pressure is ‘hypertension’, which means your blood pressure is too high and your heart is working harder when pumping blood around your body.
Getting a blood pressure check is the first step to preventing heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure is a major cause of both these diseases, but usually has no symptoms until it’s too late, which is why it’s known as ‘the silent killer’. The good news is monitoring your blood pressure has never been easier.
● BP@home is a scheme that is now available in most GP surgeries. Your local GP Practice team is helping to identify those at greatest risk of hypertension and is inviting them to monitor their blood pressure in the comfort of your own home and feedback the results to your GP surgery.
● If you’re over the age of 40 you can get a FREE blood pressure, check at your local pharmacy.
● Some GP practices also have ‘surgery pods’ that can help take a blood pressure recording and send it directly into your GP health record without requiring an appointment.
Knowing your numbers means you can start making healthy lifestyle changes, or start taking medicines, if you need them, to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level. So, it’s essential to make the time to check your blood pressure to see if it’s under control.
By doing this you’ll be joining the NHS movement to prevent up to 150,000 heart attacks, strokes, and dementia cases over the next ten years as part of a national pilot, aiming to improve residents' health outcomes through self-monitoring their blood pressure at home.
One local resident kindly shared their story and experience. Click on the white forward arrow to play the video.