Fabulous media coverage of Community Pharmacy BP check service
Thousands will be saved by pharmacy health checksThe Times, 26/08/2022, p.1, Eleanor HaywardThousands of people’s lives will be saved by an NHS scheme that offers free blood pressure checks at high street pharmacies, research suggests. NHS England is encouraging everyone over 40 to go to their local pharmacy for a check-up in a drive to slash rates of heart attacks and strokes.
Blood pressure tests on High St could save 4,000The Daily Mirror, 26/08/2022, p.10, Martin BagotMore than 4,000 lives could be saved over the next five years by ramping up free blood pressure checks at high street pharmacies. The NHS scheme, offering tests to everyone aged 40-plus, is forecast to identify more than half a million people at risk of heart attacks and strokes. Dr Shahed Ahmad, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease at NHS England, said: “Getting checked at your pharmacy is straightforward and could add years to your life by getting treatment you need earlier.” Health officials started rolling out the free checks in pharmacies across England last year – and this will now be stepped up.
High street checks for blood pressure may save 4,400 livesDaily Express, 26/08/2022, p.16, Martin BagotFree blood pressure checks at pharmacies are forecast to save double the number of lives initially expected. The NHS scheme started last year to stop patients from needing GP appointments. Dr Shahed Ahmad, NHS England’s national clinical director for cardiovascular disease, said: “Getting checked is quick and straightforward and could add years to your life by getting treatment or medication earlier.”
Free blood pressure checks at high street pharmaciesThe Daily Telegraph, 26/08/2022, p.4, Laura DonnellyMore than 4,000 lives could be saved with free blood pressure checks at high street pharmacies, health chiefs say. Under the NHS scheme, everyone over the age of 40 is urged to get tested so those found to be at risk of heart attacks and strokes can be offered medication and lifestyle advice. MORE than 4,000 lives could be saved with free blood pressure checks at high street pharmacies, health chiefs say.Under the NHS scheme, everyone over the age of 40 is urged to get tested so those found to be at risk of heart attacks and strokes can be offered medication and lifestyle advice.
FREE HEART TESTS WILL SAVE 4,500The Sun, 26/08/2022, p.26, Nick McdermottFree high-street hechecks are forecast to save nearly 4,500 lives over the next five years. More than 8,000 pharmacists across England offer blood pressure tests to all over-40s. And NHS bosses say their uptake is more than double early predictions, with 275,000 checks carried out in the first nine months alone. NHS England predicts 5.5 million people will take up checks by 2025, helping to pick up 550,000 previously undetected cases of high blood pressure.
Take HeartThe Times, 26/08/2022, p.25, UnattributedThe high street pharmacy is not just a place for hairdryers and hand cream. A new NHS initiative, to provide free blood pressure checks in 8,423 pharmacies across the country, shows that they are also lifelines for an ailing healthcare system. In the 19th century chemists advised those who lacked the means to afford the care of a physician. A century later the expansion of the welfare state and creation of the NHS, as well as the demands of an ageing population with complex medical needs, bred a class of highly qualified pharmacists who today provide more than just over-the-counter prescriptions
