Chancellor Rishi Sunak had his blood pressure checked as part of the NHS England hypertension case finding service, while opening a new pharmacy in Bedale, Yorkshire.

During the visit, Mr Sunak said that pharmacists were the ‘responsive, local heartbeat of our healthcare system’, and praised the positive impact the service would have for those currently undiagnosed with blood pressure issues.

The service, where pharmacists can measure the blood pressure of adults over 40 years old, hopes to identify those with high blood pressure. They can then be referred onto their GP to confirm the diagnosis and manage the symptoms.

NHS England and Improvement has previously encouraged pharmacists to take a proactive role in delivering this hypertension service, which was commissioned as an advanced service on 1 October 2021.

The service will be available at the new Knights Pharmacy in Glebe House Surgery, as well as the multiple’s other premises across England and Wales – a total of over 90 pharmacies.

Superintendent pharmacists at Knights Pharmacy, Pete Horrocks, said: ‘I’m very grateful that Mr Sunak was able to come and open our new premises here in Bedale, as well as seeing how the hypertension case finding Service will work in practice.

‘It was also really beneficial for us to speak on the current challenges facing our sector, as well as the success stories our industry has achieved.’

Read more about how much the service costs and what is involved in our clinical ambassador case study from C&H Barton Pharmacy.