Pharmacies complete over 100K blood pressure checks since service commenced in October 2021

Community pharmacy contractors have provided more than 100,000 blood pressure checks since the NHS Blood Pressure Check service commenced in October last year.

According to data from the NHS Business Services Authority, up to the end of March 2022, contractors have provided 115,419 clinic blood pressure checks to patients and 4,902 patients have had Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM).

The number of contractors providing the service continues to rise, and so far over 7,200 community pharmacy contractors have signed up to provide the service.

Commenting on the service figures, PSNC director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, said: “It is great to see that many pharmacy teams are now fully engaging with this important service and I know many more plan to do so over the next few months.

“The service has the potential to make a big difference to the health of individuals and to have an impact on reducing health inequalities within our local communities, with pharmacy teams well placed to play a greater part in tackling cardiovascular disease, alongside general practice colleagues.”

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published several resources to support contractors who are providing or are planning to provide the service which includes:

• A Briefing to provide additional guidance and support to contractors about the service;
• A GP letter / email service notification template to support contractors to notify general practice teams that the pharmacy will be providing the service;
• A Briefing for general practice teams to provide information for general practice teams on the new service and to assist contractors to engage with their local general practice colleagues;
• To support with promotion of the service, there is a poster, digital marketing resources, small flyers to use on prescription bags, and a template patient leaflet;
• A reference guide to support with clinic blood pressure checks;
• A patient leaflet to support provision of readings; and
• An ABPM patient leaflet to provide patients, relatives or carers with information about ABPM and what is involved.

PSNC said, “Contractors can also access an on-demand webinar and slide deck which explains how the service operates and provides advice to contractors as they begin to provide it. This resource further assists in outlining the requirements that contractors will need to meet prior to offering the service. A range of Frequently Asked Questions were answered following the webinar.”