![\"Monitoring](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/monitoring-blood-pressure-7091329.jpg\" "\\"Monitoring")
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Blood pressure checks are crucial to monitoring health (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Under a new change, pharmacists will be prevented from carrying out a lifesaving blood pressure check. NHS England<\/a> has said family chemists should not carry out the free check – which can flag someone is at risk of a heart attack or stroke – more than once every five years.<\/p>\n A blood pressure test<\/a> is a simple test to check your blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause serious conditions such as stroke and heart disease. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) warns the change could leave people with undiagnosed heart problems. Berkshire pharmacist Olivier Picard, who also chairs the NPA, told the Mirror: \u201cPeople might be walking around with this silent killer. A lot can change with your health in 12 months, never mind five years.\u201d<\/p>\n Some people check their own blood pressure at home (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Pharmacies are increasingly becoming almost drop-in GP services for minor ailments. They often have private rooms for consultations and staff are proactive in offering tests, reports the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n The change appears to scale that back by reducing the number of \u00a310 blood tests it has to pay pharmacies to do. The NPA is calling for an immediate pause to the plan due to come into force next month.<\/p>\n Henry Gregg, chief executive of the NPA said the move \u201cflies in the face of efforts to prevent disease\u201d, adding: \u201cThis will undermine the government\u2019s ambition to promote health prevention and could leave health problems undiagnosed.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHS has said family pharmacies should not carry out the check (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Why are blood pressure checks important?<\/p>\n A third of UK adults have high blood pressure<\/a> – known as hypertension – but an estimated four to five million are undiagnosed.<\/p>\n It is diagnosed if your reading is 140\/90 mmHg or higher when checked by a healthcare professional in a clinic, or an average of 135\/85 mmHg or higher when monitored at home.<\/p>\n Cardiology Care says blood pressure directly affects heart health, as well as the health of your brain, kidneys, and blood vessels.<\/p>\n It adds that uncontrolled hypertension significantly increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and even vision loss.<\/p>\n It says routine monitoring “isn\u2019t optional and that “it can genuinely save your life”.<\/p>\n Olivier Picard, who has been a pharmacist for over 20 years, told the Mirror: \u201cOften we won\u2019t know whether someone has had their blood pressure checked in the last five years.<\/p>\n “I had one lady come and see me for a headache and I checked her blood pressure and it was over 220 mmHg. I sent her straight to A&E. If we can\u2019t do these kind of checks it will put more burden on hospitals and GPs.\u201d<\/p>\n NHS England said last year that community pharmacies had carried out seven million blood pressure checks since the launch of the hypertension case-finding service in October 2021.<\/p>\n This included one million people being checked in the top 10% most deprived areas in England where people often go undiagnosed.<\/p>\n The update stated \u201crepeat clinical checks\u201d for hypertension<\/a> should not be carried out by pharmacists outside of \u201cexceptional clinical cases\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/black-man-sitting-on-couch-checking-blood-pressure-with-upper-arm-monitor-7091340.jpg\" "\\"Black")
<\/p>\n![\"NHS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sign-for-the-nhs-national-health-service-outside-a-pharmacy-on-28th-february-2026-in-london-7091343..jpeg\" "\\"NHS")
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