NHS Gloucestershire has encouraged residents to have their blood pressure checked, as it reminds the county of the “Know Your Numbers” campaign.

The Community Outreach Vaccination and Health team, together with One Gloucestershire health and care partners, supports the Blood Pressure UK campaign, ‘Know Your Numbers’, all year round, in a bid to reduce heart attacks and stroke.

While there are no community health outreach team events planned at the moment for the Forest of Dean, Foresters can still get their blood pressure checked at their local GP surgery, local pharmacy, or at home.

Oonagh Wilson, Clinical Lead, Community Outreach Vaccination and Health team, said: “The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is to have your blood pressure checked. All adults over 40 years old are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.”

High blood pressure is a major cause of heart attacks and stroke. Around one in three adults have high blood pressure, but many don’t realise it until it’s too late.

The Outreach Vaccination and Health team provided almost 1,700 blood pressure checks at community drop-in events last year. Of those, 111 were referred urgently, and 50 were notified and recommended to self-refer to their GP practice.

The team also provided residents with advice around how they can make changes or tweaks to their lifestyle, such as stopping smoking, improving their diet or increasing exercise. Patients were then signposted to where they can access further support if needed.

You can find your nearest pharmacy which offers free blood pressure checks by visiting the NHS website. You can also find out how to check your blood pressure from home by visiting the Blood Pressure UK website.