Second successful blood pressure event held in Bexhill

If left untreated high blood pressure or hypertension can lead to heart problems, strokes and damage to other vital organs. Bexhill PCN are supporting GP practices across Bexhill with Cardiovascular Disease prevention and diagnosis by ensuring people receive a follow-up appointment to confirm, or exclude, hypertension and also to do opportunistic pulse checks to detect atrial fibrillation.

People requiring a follow-up appointment and those who have not had a blood pressure check in the last five years were sent a text inviting them to book a convenient time slot during the event on a Saturday morning.

Over 130 people from across Bexhill attended with the event supported by colleagues from across the practice and the PCN including a GP, Health Care Assistants and the Cardiovascular PCN Care coordinator.

Dr Phil Stocks, Lead Partner, Little Common and Old Town Surgeries said: “We know that raised blood pressure is the number one cause of preventable death worldwide that’s why across Bexhill we want to make it as easy as possible for people to have their blood pressure checked. We want to say a big thank you to everyone who gave up their time on a Saturday morning and especially the team at Little Common and Old Town surgery for hosting the event.”

Sue Venables, Cardiovascular Care Coordinator, Bexhill PCN added: “Events such as these are so important in making people aware of the risks and how they can reduce them. If you’d like to get your blood pressure checked, you can get a free blood pressure check at pharmacies across Bexhill including Boots, Tesco, Collis and Little Common.”

The event was also attended by our local healthy lifestyle service, One You East Sussex (OYES), who provided information on the range of support and programmes they offer. The service took eight referrals on the day with six to weight management and two to Stop Smoking services.

Initial analysis from the event show one third of those attending had raised blood pressure and therefore possible undiagnosed hypertension. Two people were started on treatment (for high cardiovascular risk) on the day and these patients were given blood pressure machines to take their readings at home before analyses by their GP practice. They also picked up three irregular pulses but no new cases of Atrial Fibrillation were identified.

Due to the success of these events we are now exploring how we can replicate the event across our practices in the PCN.

To find out more about Bexhill PCN and the range of support available to people across Bexhill please visit www.bexhillpcn.nhs.uk or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.