Current context

The NHS Long Term Plan for England made a commitment to reducing mortality and morbidity due to CVD, with a shift to focus on prevention. At the time of its publication in 2019, 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 NHS ambition for hypertension is that 80 per cent of the expected number of people with high blood pressure are detected by 2029, and that 80 per cent of those diagnosed with hypertension are treated to their age-related target.

This ambitious target took a significant hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and there has been a concerted effort across systems to try to recover from this position.

The most recent NHS audit data for England (June 2024) 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.

The Community Pharmacy Hypertension Case-Finding Service was commissioned in October 2021, and its success has been clear to see. In the last year alone, community pharmacy has delivered more than one million checks. Recognition of this achievement and the potential for community pharmacy to provide even more value-added services for the NHS was noted in Lord Ara Darzi’s independent review of the NHS in September 2024. Expanded services are likely to include treatment of common conditions and to support active management of long-term conditions such as hypertension.

Active management is already in place via the NMS, which includes medicines for hypertension. However, with plans for a full launch of the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme progressing in England (see below), many areas have chosen to focus on independent prescribing in hypertension management.