Free blood pressure test for all
A pharmacy in Shrewsbury is determined to alert people in the county town to potential health problems during a month of action.
Lunts Pharmacy in Roushill will be offering free daily blood pressure checks as part of a campaign to increase awareness of heart health and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The campaign, run by Public Health England, begins on September 4 and will also see people asked to fill in an online questionnaire.
Lauren Wagstaff, dispensing technician at the pharmacy, said they were expecting a large number of visitors.
“This is an important issue for many adults,” she said.
“We decided to take part to ensure people in Shropshire can tackle any conditions they may have as early as possible.
“Not always, but in some cases persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, aortic aneurysms, kidney disease or vascular dementia.
“We will have a wealth of information and advice for people who want to come and get a free blood pressure reading.
“We suspect it will be something a large number of people will be doing - you may have been wondering about this and popping into your local pharmacy is a lot easier that making a doctor's appointment ‘just in case’ - so this is your opportunity to get checked.”
The free blood pressure checks will be on offer Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm and then again from 2pm to 5pm.
The pharmacy staff will also be encouraging adults to complete the new online 'One You' Heart Age Test.
This is run by Public Health England and provides a series of questions for users based on lifestyle, it will calculate a figure to tell people 'how old their heart is' (in comparison to their physical age). There are tips on actions you can take to lower your heart age online.
For more information call 01743 232857 or email lunts.rh@googlemail.com.
