Nursing staff taking blood pressure checks in three local towns have revealed 72 people out of 222 with increased blood pressure.
The checks were offered as part of a programme of NHS road shows organised by NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald during the past month.
So far they have been held at Uckfield Tesco, The Co-operative Foodstore in Heathfield and most recently (Friday 3 April) at Crowborough Waitrose.
The offer of blood pressure checks was taken up by people with a wide age range; from those in their twenties to retired people including some in their eighties.
The majority of higher readings came from those in the range of 40s to 70s, with a significant number in their 40s and 50s who were unaware of a possible issue beforehand.
A single higher reading can be an indicator of a problem, or simply a result of a busy and stressful day and each person was given the relevant advice according to their result and age.
Many retired people with high blood pressure are already under the care of their GP and having regular checks, but those who are still of working age may not be quite so aware.
* Uckfield Tesco, 8 referrals to see their GP out of 68 checks. Those checked were, mainly in their 40s and 50s.
* Heathfield Co-op, 25 referrals to their GP out of 58 checks. These were mainly people in the 50 to 70 age range.
* Crowborough Waitrose, 39 GP referrals out of 96 checks, mainly from people in their 40s to 70s.
Higher blood pressure may be a temporary response to fever, physical exertion or stress and approximately 30% of people over the age of 50 have high blood pressure (NICE 2006).
Clinical Community Nursing Manager Sally Gummer says,
“It is important to have your blood pressure, pulse rate and weight checked as part of any health screening assessment. Some readings can indicate an underlying medical condition and these should be followed up”.
The road shows are aimed at getting information about local health and health promotion services out to people in their local communities.
There are for more planned this summer in Lewes and Seaford and in Eastbourne and Hastings in the autumn.
