By the way . . . EVERYONE should learn to take blood pressure

THE latest initiative by the NHS to reduce the incidence of strokes and heart attacks is to train firemen to carry out blood pressure checks. Supermarkets, offices and schools will also have blood pressure machines.

This is already happening in some parts of the UK and, while I applaud the plan as a way to equip everyone with these vital skills, it does not go far enough.

We should actually all be checking our own blood pressure.

The causes of high blood pressure are complex, with a number of interrelated factors including excess salt in the diet, alcohol, obesity, lack of exercise, genes and many aspects of our pressurised, sleepdeprived, worry-obsessed lifestyles. The key point is that, for many, the first sign of problematic blood pressure is at a point of no return, such as a stroke causing catastrophic brain damage, or heart failure.

I am not convinced that spending time, energy and money in training firemen to carry out blood pressure checks is the answer, not least because they have other life-saving work to do.

For less than £20, anyone can buy a perfectly reliable blood pressure machine (sphygmomanometer) to check their own blood pressure.

It’s not a lot of money when you consider what most of us seem prepared to spend on a mobile phone.

Crucially, this means we can check our blood pressure at home and keep an eye on the trend.

Or why not teach children at school? They’re learning about science, sex and relationships, so why not add how to use a sphygmomanometer to the syllabus — it takes five minutes to learn.

We all need to know how to interpret a reading. A blood pressure level of over 140/90 is the cut-off point between normal and abnormal.

And remember, one swallow does not make a summer, so one elevated reading may just be anxiety or a bad moment.

What matters is the trend of a few regular measurements — and how often can you ask that fireman to come back?