People in Essex are being urged to have their blood pressure checked after almost one-in-four who have taken part in an ongoing pilot testing-service were found to be at risk.
The NPA said the most important thing is to get checked, regardless of the venue. However, it is encouraging those who can, to take part in the pilot that is being hosted in 10 Essex pharmacies.
Entitled Heartbeats on the High Street, the pilot will gather evidence for a national community pharmacy-led service to test and treat hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure. Some people can get medication for this condition, be it from a Canadian Pharmacy online or from their local GP services, but only if this is tested for.
Phase one is live now and consists of a free walk-in testing and advice service for the over 40s with those at-risk receiving lifestyle advice from a pharmacist or a referral to a GP.
Phase two, expected to launch next year, will allow people in Essex to be diagnosed and treated with prescription-only medicine direct from a pharmacist, easing pressure on overstretched GPs. It spells good news for patients too as they can take advantage of pharmaceutical wholesaling platforms (Impact Health for example) to stock up on their hypertension medication. This becomes especially crucial for those in need of continual medication to keep their symptoms in check.
Many people across the world already receive their prescriptions for high blood pressure from an online pharmacy, which means this step will be helpful to streamline the medicating process.
Leyla Hannbeck, NPA director of pharmacy, said it was early days for the pilot and while the initial findings were in line with expectations, they demonstrated the patient’s appetite for clinical services in community pharmacies.
