A REGIONWIDE drive gets under way today (Monday, September 2) to help people aged 40-plus protect themselves against the hidden threat of high blood pressure, one of the biggest causes of premature death in the South West.

Supermarkets, sports matches, libraries, workplaces, festivals and concerts will be hosting simple and free NHS blood pressure checks.

On Tuesday, September 3, blood pressure checks will be offered at Crediton Tesco, Joseph Locke Way, Crediton EX17 3FD, from 10am to 3pm.

Anyone with high blood pressure – known as the “silent killer” as it rarely has symptoms - can then be managed by their doctor or even manage their own condition through lifestyle changes.

Big steps have been taken over recent months, with 37,505 additional patients tested and treated between September 2023 and March 2024 – three times as many as in the same period the year before.

Many local pharmacies are now offering free blood pressure checks and people can check what the result might mean using the NHS blood pressure checker (https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/check-your-blood-pressure-reading )

But more effort is needed to reach those who are still unaware of their high risk.

That’s why the seven health and care systems spanning from Dorset to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have ramped up blood pressure checks.

Libraries, sports venues, factories, supermarkets and music events as well as a farmers’ market are among the places offering the free blood pressure checks.

For more information on the importance of a blood pressure check, knowing what those numbers mean and what to do next, visit: https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/our-work/blood-pressure/ .