How's Thi Ticker: Barnsley barber shops and supermarkets checking blood pressure in major NHS drive

NHS and council services in Barnsley will be offering their mobile blood pressure service ‘How’s Thi Ticker’ out of barber shops and supermarkets, as part of a national drive to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

The NHS is expanding blood pressure checks available in local communities across the country, aiming to make them more accessible and help those at risk of serious conditions from high blood pressure.

Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said: “This sort of approach, where we go out into our communities and connect with people who wouldn’t usually have their blood pressure checked, helps tackle health inequalities.

“The teams make it easier for people to get tested, they give them confidence to ask any questions they have. When someone is referred to a local pharmacy, in their own neighbourhood, we know they’re more likely to attend and get the vital support and treatment they need.”

Of the first 1,550 people it checked when it began operating last year, How’s Thi Ticker referred 32% to the pharmacy and advised 6% to contact their GP.

John Maingay, Director of Policy and Influencing at the British Heart Foundation, said: “At a time when the NHS is busier than ever, making more of these free checks available in local communities has the potential to help millions more people improve their heart health, and prevent more heart attacks and strokes.”

The scheme comes alongside new figures showing that the number of blood pressure checks in high street pharmacies more than doubled in May 2022 -23, compared to the year before, with 149,865 checks delivered.

More than 1,300 heart attacks and strokes could be prevented this year thanks to the high street checks, according to the NHS.