With the launch of a new West Yorkshire Healthy Heart Hypertension Guideline 
coming soon, we have a blog from Emily Turner, a lead pharmacist with a specialist interest in cardio-renal. Emily’s blog looks at how the new guideline is an opportunity for West Yorkshire to lead on prevention.
Hello, my name is Emily
High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is the biggest risk factor for heart disease and stroke that we can do something about. Around one in four adults in the UK have it, but many remain undiagnosed or undertreated. In West Yorkshire, this adds up to thousands of preventable heart attacks, strokes and cases of kidney disease every year.
The new West Yorkshire Healthy Heart Hypertension Guideline gives us the chance to change this - and to do so together.
A stronger evidence base, a sharper focus
The evidence is clear - controlling blood pressure saves lives. Lowering it, even by a small amount, reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes and early death. The new guideline encourages more ambitious blood pressure targets (below 130 over 80), provided treatment is well tolerated, reflecting evidence that lowering systolic blood pressure further reduces risk. Aiming lower is expected to get more people to the NICE targets overall.
A key change is the move towards using two types of blood pressure medicines together, right from the start, but at lower doses. This approach helps people reach healthier blood pressure levels more quickly and safely, with fewer side effects. It also avoids the stop-start cycle of switching medicines over time and reduces the need for repeated trips to the doctor.
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Know your numbers
You may have seen September’s national Know Your Numbers campaign (8 – 14 September). Its message was simple - check your blood pressure and take control of your health. The new guideline builds on this. Every appointment, every pharmacy visit, every community event can be a chance to check blood pressure. At the same time, scaling up validated home BP monitoring and encouraging patients to know their numbers will be central to success.
What this means for West Yorkshire
I believe West Yorkshire can lead the way. We already have strong partnerships between GPs, pharmacists, hospitals, local authorities and voluntary groups. If we act collectively, the benefits are clear:
- Better targets: lower targets reduce CVD events
- Better treatment: early adoption of dual therapy will help more people get control faster and for longer
- Better outcomes: preventing strokes, heart attacks and cases of vascular dementia and kidney disease
A call to action
To make this happen, we need system-wide alignment:
- GP teams embedding dual therapy pathways, lower BP targets and risk-based decision making
- Community pharmacy and other partners delivering accessible BP checks and supporting Know Your Numbers all year round
- Commissioners and leaders enabling investment in devices, digital solutions and workforce training
Leading from the front
High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it rarely has symptoms until it causes serious harm. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We have the knowledge, the tools and the partnerships to change the story for West Yorkshire. Let’s seize this opportunity to protect more people, reduce health inequalities and improve lives - together.
Thanks for reading
Emily