Blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely has noticeable symptoms. But if untreated, it increases your risk of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

More than one in four adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many won’t realise it.

The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is to have your blood pressure checked. 

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is recorded with two numbers. The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.

The diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels. They’re both measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).

As a general guide;

• High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
• Ideal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg
• Low blood pressure is considered to be 90/60mmHg or lower

A blood pressure reading between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg could mean you’re at risk of developing high blood pressure if you don’t take steps to keep your blood pressure under control.

Risks of high Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as;

• Heart disease
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Heart failure
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Aortic aneurysms
• kydney disease
• Vascular dementia

If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these conditions

Check your Blood Pressure

The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.
All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.

You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including;

• At your GP surgery
• At some pharmacies
• As part of your NHS Health Check
• In some workplaces
• A Home blood pressure monitor

To book an your appointment please ask one of our receptionists to book your appointment

Causes of high Blood Pressure

It’s not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but certain things can increase your risk.

You’re at an increased risk of high blood pressure if you;

• Are over the age of 65
• Are overweight or obese
• Are of African or Caribbean descent
• Have a relative with high blood pressure
• Eat too much salt and don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables
• Don’t do enough exercise
• Drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• Smoke
• Don’t get much sleep or have disturbed sleep

Making healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.

Reduce your Blood Pressure

The following lifestyle changes can help prevent and lower high blood pressure;

• Reduce the amount of salt you eat and have a generally healthy diet
• Cut back on alcohol if you drink too much
• Lose weight if you’re overweight
• Exercise regularly
• Cut down on caffeine
• Stop smoking
• Try to get at least six hours of sleep a night

Some people with high blood pressure may also need to take one or more medicines to stop their blood pressure getting too high.

Medicines for high Blood Pressure

If you’re diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend taking one or more medicines to keep it under control.
These usually need to be taken once a day.

Common blood pressure medications include;

• ACE inhibitors – such as enalapril, lisinopril, perindopril and ramipril
• Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) – such as candesartan, irbesartan, losartan, valsartan and olmesartan
• Calcium channel blockers – such as amlodipine, felodipine and nifedipine or diltiazem and verapamil.
• Diuretics – such as indapamide and bendroflumethiazide
• Beta-blockers – such as atenolol and bisoprolol Alpha-blockers – such as doxazosin
• Renin inhibitors – such as aliskiren
• Other diuretics – such as amiloride and spironolactone

The medication recommended for you will depend on things like how high your blood pressure is and your age.

For test results, please contact the practice between 2.30PM and 4.30PM

North East London NHS Foundation Trust has taken over the delivery of the Community and Domicillary Phlebotomy Service.

In order to deliver an improved service with more appointments available overall, blood testing services are available from:

• Silverthorne Medical Centre, 2 Friars Close, E4 6UN, from 8.15am to 12.30pm and from 1.15pm to 4.00pm Monday to Friday
• St James Health Practice, 47 St James St, Walthamstow, London E17 7NH, from 8.15am to 12.30pm Monday to Friday, with an afternoon clinic from 1.15pm to 5.30pm Monday to Friday
• Langthorne Health Centre, 13 Langthorne Rd, London, E11 4HX, from 8.15am to 5.30pm Mondays Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 8.15am – 12.30pm on Thursdays

Online bookings are available

Our patients can book or cancel blood test appointments online;

If patients are unable to book their own appointment, a relative or carer can register to book on their behalf.

Please note appointments cannot be pre-booked by telephone.

If you have been referred by your GP, book your blood test appointments online at;

Online Appointment Healthcare Platform | Swiftqueue

Criteria For Home Visits
Domiciliary phlebotomy will be provided to those who are confined to their homes due to illness, in care homes (with no nursing facilities) and or disability or learning disability with challenging behaviour and/non-urgent patient transport service to attend hospital appointments.

Domiciliary Phlebotomy

Referrals to the domiciliary phlebotomy service will be made via secure mail on the WF Adult SPA referral form to the WF Adult Single point of Access (SPA). Domiciliary referrals will be responded to within 2 days. Where the referral is urgent the phlebotomist shall attend to the patient within 4 days and for routine referrals within 2-3 weeks.

Contact Our Services In Waltham Forest

The service will be provided to all patients who present a blood test request form.

Core Opening Hours:	8.00am – 5.30pm
Email:	nem-tr.wfadultchsreferrals@nhs.net
Telephone Number:	030 0300 1710

For test results, please contact the practice between 2.30PM and 4.30PM

Please allow a minimum of 1 week for test results to be available.

Below are health review forms that you may find helpful.

Nurse Clinics

Our nurses provide the following to our patient’s

• Postnatal checks
• Maternity bookings
• New patient health checks
• Wound dressings
• The removal of sutures
• Blood pressure checks
• I.M/Subcut immunisations
• Blood sugar monitoring and checks
• NHS health checks
• Pill checks
• Shingles immunisations
• Flu immunisations
• Childhood Vaccinations
• Cervical screening

To book an your appointment please ask one of our receptionists to book your appointment.

Prior to the appointment all patients are required to have their temperatures checked and to ask the receptionist for a token which they can use on our blood pressure machine, the machine will check your Blood pressure, height and weight. You will get a printout of your results which can then be passed onto the receptionist where it can be added to your health records.

Face masks and coverings are to be worn at all times by all GP’s, nurses, visitors and patients.

Face Masks And face Covering Exceptions

1. Exception from face covering badges (for a mobile phone)
2. Exception from face covering badges (to print)
3. Exception from face covering card (to print)

Some people may feel more comfortable showing something that says they do not have to wear a face covering. This could be in the form of an exemption card, badge or even a home-made sign.

The aim of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme is to reduce the number of women who develop cervical cancer and the number of women who die from the condition.

Since the screening programme was introduced in the 1980s, the number of cervical cancer cases has decreased by about 7% each year.

All women who are registered with a GP are invited for cervical screening;

• Aged 25 to 49 – every 3 years
• Aged 50 to 64 – every 5 years
• Over 65 – only women who haven’t been screened since age 50 or those who have recently had abnormal tests

Being screened regularly means any abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix can be identified at an early stage and, if necessary, treated to stop cancer developing.

But cervical screening isn’t 100% accurate and doesn’t prevent all cases of cervical cancer.
Screening is a personal choice and you have the right to choose not to attend.

You’ll be asked to undress from the waist down and lie on a couch, although you can usually remain fully dressed if you’re wearing a loose skirt. The doctor or nurse will gently put an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. This holds the walls of the vagina open so the cervix can be seen.

A small soft brush will be used to gently collect some cells from the surface of your cervix.

If you find the test painful, tell the doctor or nurse as they may be able to reduce your discomfort.

Try to relax as much as possible as being tense makes the test more difficult to carry out. Taking slow, deep breaths will help.

The cell sample is then sent off to a laboratory for analysis and you should receive the result within 2 weeks.

HPV Vaccination

Since Sept 2008, there’s has been a national program in place to vaccinate 12-13 year old girls against HPV. There is also a 3 year catch up campaign that offers the HPV vaccine to 12-18 year old girls. It is delivered through secondary schools, consisting of 3 injections over a 6 month period.

HPV is the name of a family of viruses effecting the skin and membranes lining up the body (cervic, anus, mouth and throat). There are more than 100 different types of the HPV virus and are classed as high and low risk.

• HPV effecting the skin can be passed via skin-to-skin contact
• HPV that effects the throat and mouth can be passed on through kissing
• Genital HPV is spread via sexual intercourse
• You can have the genital virus for years withouth any sign of it

HPV infections can be harmless or may cause genital warts, however some can cause Cancer. Most HPV infections clear up by themselves, but in some people the infection can last a long time, HPV infects the cells of the surface of the cervix where it can remain un-noticed without you knowing that it is there. The HPV virus can damage these cells leading to changes in their appearances.

The purpose of cervical screening is to detect these changes, and if picked up early enough, can be treated to prevent cancer from developing. If left un-treated, ccancer can develop, leading to serious illness and death.

To book an your appointment please ask one of our receptionists to book your appointment

Resources

• Cancer Research UK – HPV Facts and Information
• NHS Choices – Cervical Screening – The why, when and how guide to cervical screening
• Cervical Screening – The factsheet for women who would like to have further information about having a cervical smear test for screening.
• NHS Choices – HPV Vaccination
• HPV Vaccine – The factsheet for people who would information about the HPV vaccine

All links come from trusted sources, however, if you are unsure about them or any other medical concerns, contact your doctor or pharmacist for further advice