Q&A with Sabina Afzal, pharmacist at Well Pharmacy Timperley
Did you know that for every 10 people diagnosed with high blood pressure, a further 7 remain undiagnosed?
In Trafford alone, Public Health England estimates that 23% of the population have high blood pressure, with an estimated 22,000 undiagnosed cases.
With the Stroke Association’s ‘National Know Your Blood Pressure Day’ taking place on 14 April, getting your blood pressure checked has never been more important.
High blood pressure increases your risk of life-threatening conditions like heart failure and stroke. Blood pressure checks are quick, painless and could save your life.
Well Pharmacy Timperley is offering free blood pressure checks, just pop in without an appointment and the highly trained pharmacists can provide you with advice and support to reduce your blood pressure if a diagnosis is made. We spoke to Sabina Afzal, the pharmacist at Well Pharmacy Timperley on Stockport Road to find out more:
Q: How can the pharmacy team at Well Pharmacy Timperley help with checking blood pressure?
A: Our new team at Well Pharmacy Timperley are expertly trained to check blood pressure. The team can do this as part of a medicine check-up for patients who take regular blood pressure medication, or for any member of the community who wants to make sure their blood pressure is normal.
The pharmacy is the first port of call for advice and support, you don’t need an appointment and it could save you time. And you don’t need to worry because pharmacists are also trained to identify ‘red flags’ or warning signs of more serious illnesses, and will refer you to the GP if needed.
Q: Why is it important to know your numbers when it comes to blood pressure?
A: High blood pressure increases your risk of life-threatening conditions like heart failure and stroke, so it’s really important that you get yours checked to make sure it’s in a healthy range.
It’s quick, painless and could save your life. Our highly trained pharmacists can provide you with advice and support to reduce your blood pressure if your numbers are too high.
Q: What is a normal blood pressure range?
A: normal range is between 90/60 to 120/80. The top number is the systolic reading referring to the amount of pressure in your arteries and the bottom number is the diastolic reading referring to when you heart muscle is between beats.
Q: What would be the next steps if my reading was high?
A: If your blood pressure is too high or too low, you would have a private consultation to discuss why that might be, and work out a plan of action to get you in the normal range.
If we felt that you needed medication to help control your blood pressure, we would refer you to your GP for further care.
Q: How do you do the checks?
A: Just like with the GP, our pharmacist uses a blood pressure monitor to check your blood pressure in a private consultation room. It’s very quick and easy, and a reading is given straight away.
Q: Do I have to make an appointment?
A: No appointments are necessary. Just pop in at your own convenience.
Q: How do you ensure privacy in the pharmacy?
A: We carry out blood pressure checks in the private consultation room, away from other customers in the pharmacy. We give patients the option to speak to a member of the team in the consultation room following the reading.
Well pharmacy, the UK’s largest independent chain, help over 600,000 people with their prescriptions every week.
But this is just one element of the NHS-approved health services the pharmacy provides to the local community.
In addition to the blood pressure checks, visit the new team at Well Pharmacy Timperley on Stockport Road to see how they can improve your health and wellbeing this spring – some might just surprise you!
Find your nearest Well pharmacy: finder.well.co.uk
