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Blood Pressure Information
High Blood Pressure
Please watch the following video from the British Heart Foundation to understand more about blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and other serious conditions. Most people with high blood pressure don’t experience any symptoms and the only way it is diagnosed is by having your blood pressure measured.
Get more information about what causes high blood pressure and treatment options
For patients not diagnosed with hypertension it is recommended you check your blood pressure at least every 5 years. For patients with known hypertension we recommend monitoring your home blood pressure at least once every 6 to 12 months depending on how well controlled your blood pressure is.
Blood pressure can vary throughout the day and is affected by stress and anxiety (which you may experience when you attend the GP surgery).
For this reason one off blood pressure readings are not reliable at diagnosing high blood pressure. To check it is actually high it is more important to know your average blood pressure, the national best standard is to measure several readings over the space of 4 to 7 days when you are relaxed in your home environment.
We recommend investing in a blood pressure monitor so you can regularly keep an eye on your blood pressure at home and calculate an average if your blood pressure seems high. They are relatively cheap and widely available, see below for Advice on purchasing a Home Blood Pressure Monitor.
For one off readings or to check your home machine is still accurate you can either use a machine in our wating rooms at Manzil Way or Ivy Close, or visit a pharmacy or optician which offers free blood pressure checks:
Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks
What is a normal Blood Pressure Reading?
For most people the ideal average home Blood Pressure is below 135/85 and above 100/60. This changes if you are aged over 80 or have conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.
How to check your blood pressure at home (Upper Arm Monitors)
- Take your blood pressure only when you are resting and feeling relaxed.
- Sit upright in a chair with your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on the floor.
- Your arm should be rested on a table ideally.
- Put the cuff on your upper arm, at heart level, directly next to the skin, or over thin fabric with the tube leading down the centre of the arm. Make sure the cuff fits well, is evenly tight at the top and the bottom while being comfortable with enough space for to fit in 2 fingertips.
- Press the start button and continue to relax, without talking. The cuff will inflate and it might feel tight for a few moments. It will then deflate. If it feels too uncomfortable just press the stop button so it deflates quickly.
- The monitor will show your reading. Take a note of your blood pressure reading and your pulse rate too.
- It is best to check your blood pressure three times in a row (leaving 1 minute between recordings). You only need to keep a record of the lowest reading you get out of the three.
For patients doing serial home blood pressure monitoring – take readings in the morning and evening at the same time for 4 days.
Send us your Blood Pressure Readings
You can send us these readings online by clicking the above link, or through a link the practice might have sent to your mobile or email, or by paper using a Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Sheet obtained from reception.
If your blood pressure is too high an appointment will be arranged to discuss this further. We aim to contact you within 2 weeks of submitting your readings. If you haven’t heard from us by then please get in touch
Advice on Purchasing a Home Blood Pressure Machine
There are many BP monitors available online, in supermarkets or pharmacies. They are usually around £15 to £20. There is no need to purchase more expensive models but do ensure your machine is accredited by the British Hypertension Society or is CE Approved.
Examples of good monitors include:
- Omron M2 Basic Upper Arm BP Monitor. Around £24 (BHF website Jan 2025)
- Boots Upper Arm BP Monitor. £21.50 (Boots website Jan 2025)
- A and D UA-611 Upper Arm BP Monitor. £17.60 (BHF website Jan 2025)
- Vaynz BP Monitor Smart Voice Upper Arm. Around £13 (Amazon website Jan 2025)
If you have an irregular heartbeat, the home monitors might not work as well. Instead, you would need to have your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional.
Before buying please ensure you have the correct sized cuff. If the cuff is too small the machine will give a reading that is higher than it should be.
The practice has a limited stock of blood pressure monitors which we can loan out to patients who don’t have a blood pressure machine. We ask for a £40 deposit which is given back to you providing the machine is returned within 3 weeks. Please ask one of our receptionists if you would like to loan one of our monitors.