Blood Pressure checks

If you are over 40 years old and not already on treatment for high blood pressure, the pharmacy offers free BP checks without an appointment. These checks are administerd by trained staff and only take a few minutes. The service is designed to identify those who may not know they have high blood pressure (hypertension) as the condition rarely causes symptoms but gradually causes long term damage to the blood vessels leading to premature heart disease, strokes, dementia and kidney disease. If it is detected and treated appropriately in time, this risk is minimised.

If your initial BP measurements are on the high side, the next step is to be offered a 24 hour ambulatory BP monitor (ABPM). This is a small device you wear on your arm hidden under clothes with a recording devvice that fits in a pocket or small bag. It checks your BP hourly over a 24 hour period while you are going about your normal business and this gives a better reflection of your overall blood pressure. You return the device to the pharmacy the next day and the pharmacist downloads the readings onto a computer record. If you have a high average reading, you would be referred to your GP for further assessment and treatment as you probably have hypertension. Hypertension can only be safely diagnosed after a 24 hour ABPM.