How you can help
We are asking patients if they can purchase or obtain their own blood pressure monitors to carry out their own regular checks on this important health measure to avoid a trip to the surgery.
High Blood Pressure can be an added risk in many clinical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and obstructive lung disease (COPD). It is also a risk factor in case of Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection.
Normally, the surgery would ask patients potentially “at risk” to come into the surgery and have their blood pressure taken by a health care professional. At the moment, when the surgery is still trying to minimise the number of patients attending, both for their own protection and for others, we are taking the unusual step of asking patients – if they can – to buy their own blood pressure monitor and to check their own blood pressure at home. They can then send this on to the surgery and we can add it to their medical records. All results will be checked by a clinician, who will contact the patient if follow up or medication changes are necessary.
There is some useful information about choosing and using a blood pressure monitor on the British Heart Foundation’s website at BHF: Blood Pressure Measuring At Home A Home Blood Pressure Diary to fill in is available from the surgery.
If you are unable to purchase a machine and have been asked to monitor your own blood pressure at home, please contact the surgery. We may be able to help. For those patients that can buy their own blood pressure machine, it will not only help by reducing footfall in the surgery during the Coronavirus pandemic, but also provide a long-term tool to help keep them healthy.