Introduction & module overview

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of premature death in the UK. It is thought at least one in four adults have hypertension, but many are unaware until their blood pressure is checked.

Identifying and managing hypertension remains a NHS priority for CVD prevention. While there has been an increase in case-finding, it is estimated that in England alone around 4.2 million people who have the condition have yet to be identified. Those living in the most deprived areas are 30 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure compared to those living in the least deprived areas.

The expanding role of community pharmacy teams in hypertension case-finding, opportunities to support therapeutic management through schemes such as the New Medicine Service and future developments with the expansion of pharmacist independent prescribing will provide further opportunities for community pharmacy to play an enhanced role in this field.

Current context

The 2019 NHS Long Term Plan for England committed the health service to reducing mortality and morbidity due to CVD with a shift to focus on prevention, a direction of travel that has been continued by the new Labour Government. The ambition for hypertension is that 80 per cent of the expected number of people with the disease are detected by 2029, and 80 per cent of the population diagnosed with hypertension are treated to their age-related target.

When the NHS Long Term Plan was published, it was estimated that less than 60 per cent of people with hypertension had been diagnosed, and that 3,700 strokes and 2,500 heart attacks could be prevented within five years if more people received blood pressure checks.

The ambitious target took a significant hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and there has been a concerted effort across systems to try and recover from this position. The most recent audit data for England shows an increase in new diagnoses of hypertension and in treatment to target. However, achievements are still well below the stated aim with only 66.9 per cent of people of all ages with hypertension treated to target (CVD Prevent Audit, June 2024).