Blood pressure checks snubbed

JUST two per cent of Britons are making use of free blood pressure checks at their local pharmacy, a survey has found.

The vital tests have been available to everyone over 40 at high street chemists since October last year.

NHS England launched the initiative to relieve pressure on GP clinics and cut the hidden toll of high blood pressure.

An estimated 4.8million people in Britain have the condition but don’t know it – putting them at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

But treatment such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors can dramatically reduce the chances.

The survey of 2,120 adults, commissioned by the British Heart Foundation in partnership with Tesco, also found that just one in ten had visited his or her pharmacist for health advice.