Public screened and educated about high blood pressure in the community

A primary care team has been going into the community to screen people and educate them on reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease.

Staff from City Health Local Cluster Collaborative (LCC) engaged with members of the public in Swansea city centre about high blood pressure and its risks.

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is when the force of blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high.

It rarely causes any symptoms but can lead to serious problems, such as a heart attack or stroke.

The LCC, which covers areas including Mayhill, Sandfields and the city centre, decided to go into the community to carry out blood pressure checks and educate people on lifestyle changes that can help them stay healthy.

Pictured: Healthcare assistants Joanne Lewis and Shaney Hill.

Dr Rebecca Jenkinson, GP partner at Kingsway Surgery, said: “We decided to take healthcare prevention and screening out in the community, away from the traditional model of healthcare, to engage with people who may be at risk of high blood pressure.

“We know that it does affect a large amount of people, and that it can go on to cause strokes and heart attacks.

“We wanted to reach and engage with people who may be experiencing high levels of health inequality and who may not go to their GP practice or pharmacy for various reasons.”

Healthcare assistants Shaney Hill, from Harbourside Medical Centre, and Joanne Lewis, from SA1 Medical Centre, visited venues including Swansea market and the Quadrant Shopping Centre to carry out blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) screenings.

Based on each person’s results, appropriate lifestyle advice would then be provided to help them make positive changes if needed.

“They would give people lifestyle advice on weight management, quitting smoking and more to help them reduce their risk,” Dr Jenkinson added.

“If a person was found to have high blood pressure, they were given a card with their readings on it and then advice.

“They were also advised to get their blood pressure checked again in the near future and if it was consistently high, then to go and see their GP.”

The project ran over a five-month period with around 300 blood pressure checks carried out.

Around half of the readings confirmed high blood pressure, while three-quarters of the BMI checks identified people as overweight or obese.

Shaney said: “It was a great opportunity to reach people who may not regularly go into their GP practice or even think about having a health check.

“One of the things that stood out to us was how many people didn’t know what their blood pressure was or even realise it was something they should be aware of.

“Having those conversations helped raise awareness and encouraged people to take an active interest in their health. Some had never had a check, and others had been putting off going to their GP.

“Sometimes all it took was a quick chat about their results and why they mattered for someone to decide to take the next step.”

As a result of being present in the community, patients were able to identify potential health issues that they otherwise may not have been aware of.

Joanne added: “It was so rewarding seeing people come back to us to let us know they had followed our advice and contacted their GP practice. Some had been started on high blood pressure medication, some had ECGs arranged, and others were having further investigations.

“It was lovely to know that something as simple as an accessible health check and a conversation had encouraged them to get checked out.

“By making it easy for people to engage, we’ve raised awareness, picked up potential health concerns early and encouraged people to access support that they may otherwise have delayed.”

Dr Jenkinson stressed the importance of screening as hypertension can be asymptomatic, meaning most people don’t realise they have it.

“We know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Wales,” she said.

“High blood pressure, weight and smoking are all risk factors but are also things that can be changed.

“Hypertension is mostly asymptomatic, so people don’t usually realise they have got high blood pressure until they get screened or something happens.

“This project has been so important because it was about going into the community and engaging with people who we wouldn’t normally be able to reach, but who are at risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Dr David Howell, City Health LCC lead and GP partner at Kingsway Surgery, said: “The hypertension project has been a huge success, and I am very grateful to Dr Jenkinson, Shaney and Joanne for all the hard work they put into delivering it.

“This project has provided a really valuable opportunity to identify important cardiovascular risk factors early, before they become symptomatic or lead to more serious health problems.

“It has demonstrated excellent buy-in from the community, with a significant number of people engaging with the team and being supported to better understand and manage their cardiovascular risk.

“It is also a great example of how working collaboratively as a cluster can help us reach people who may otherwise be less likely to access preventative health services.

“This is a project that the City Health Cluster can be very proud of and is a great example of the positive impact we can have by working together and taking healthcare directly into the community.”