People in the North East and Yorkshire aged 40 and over who don’t have a diagnosis of high blood pressure are reminded they can get a free blood pressure check at their local NHS community pharmacy as part of a national NHS campaign to find the ‘missing millions’ who have undiagnosed high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is often described as a ‘silent killer’ as the condition rarely has any symptoms. It is estimated 4.2 million adults in England have undiagnosed high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can significantly increase your risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of premature death in England. It causes 1 in 4 deaths in England – around one death every four minutes. High blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, creates the biggest risk for CVD and an estimated 5.5 million people in England have undiagnosed hypertension.

The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have a simple test. On average, local community pharmacies carry out more than 20,000 blood pressure checks every month in our region. The service is available for people aged 40 and over who don’t currently have a diagnosis of high blood pressure. The procedure is quick, non-invasive and you don’t need to book in advance.

Dr Faisel Baig, Medical Director for Primary Care, NHS North East and Yorkshire, said: “The blood pressure check will be carried out by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician trained to use blood pressure monitoring equipment in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The results will be sent to the patient’s GP practice to confirm the diagnosis and for appropriate treatment, if necessary.

“Remember, it’s important to know your blood pressure because if you’ve got undiagnosed high blood pressure it puts you at risk of heart disease and stroke. People can walk in to their NHS pharmacy to request a blood pressure test, or they can make an appointment. It’s completely free and you don’t need to see a GP in advance.”

More than 1,500 pharmacies are registered to deliver the blood pressure check service across our region. Find your local NHS pharmacy.