Blood Pressure Checking Coming to your Area

Blood Pressure Checking Coming to your Area
It is estimated that 7 million people in the UK have high blood pressure and, as the condition often
has no symptoms, they are often not aware until it develops into a serious condition leading to heart
attacks and strokes. Rural communities, where transport links are poor and there is a distance from
primary care services, are more at risk. That is why the Shropshire Community Blood Pressure
Checks project was started over 2 years ago to offer blood pressure checks to local people in their
own local area. The project- covering all of Shropshire - is led by Oswestry charity OCA in
collaboration with Shropshire Council and Shropshire NHS services.
Across Shropshire, we have a team of trained local volunteers who hold pop-ups at events in
libraries, community spaces and village halls where people can have their blood pressure read, get
advice about lifestyle changes that can prevent high blood pressure or help to lower it and be sign-
posted on to further medical intervention if necessary. To date, we have taken over a thousand
blood pressures around Shropshire and around 20 per cent were sign-posted on for further
investigation due to a high reading.
To find out when we are holding a pop-up checking session in your area or to enquire if a blood
pressure champion can offer the service at your community venue, please get in touch with the
project coordinator Jo Longetti