Suffolk Libraries has partnered with NHS Suffolk and North East Essex to make blood pressure machines available for people to borrow, just as they would borrow a book.
Clinicians in the county are concerned that high blood pressure is under-reported, with only 17% of local adults recorded as having the condition, against the British Heart Foundation's national estimate of 30%. High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes, despite being a preventable condition.
Taking blood pressure measurements over a few days, when people are more relaxed in their own homes, can give more accurate results than a test in a clinic where patients may feel more stressed.
Dr Jon Ferdinand, GP and Clinical Lead for Long Term Conditions at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), said:
“This joint initiative will help support people to know if their blood pressure is a problem or not. They'll have a better understanding of their numbers and what they mean and they should seek help if they have high readings.
“Lowering our blood pressure is one of the best ways of reducing the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Many people will be able to improve their blood pressure through lifestyle changes and some will require tablets. However, people are often unaware that a combination of regular exercise and a low salt diet can be just as effective as taking medication.
“Anyone over the age of 40 looking after their health should know what their blood pressure is.”
Claire Corbett, Head of Cancer and Long Term Conditions at the ICB, said:
“High blood pressure is a silent killer. Many people don’t know they’ve got it until they have a heart attack or stroke. We would like to thank Suffolk Libraries for helping us make self-testing easy and convenient for the general public.”
Krystal Vittles, Deputy Chief Executive of Suffolk Libraries, said:
“We’re delighted to be able to offer this service to people across Suffolk and hope this partnership can make a real difference to people’s health. With 45 libraries, our mobiles and four pop-up libraries, we hope this project will make it easier for many more people to test their blood pressure.”
Suffolk Libraries has been given 100 of the monitors which can be reserved and borrowed from any library. Customers can reserve them in advance from the library catalogue, as they would a book, and collect when they visit the library. The monitors can be found on the catalogue by searching for ‘medical equipment’ in the subject field.
For more information visit our blood pressure monitor guidance page.
