Health

Health experts in Sefton are urging local residents to find out if their heart is happy and get their blood pressure checked for free as part of Know Your Numbers! Week (September 9-15).

Shockingly, 30,000 people in Sefton have high blood pressure and don’t know, this puts them a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and dementia.

Professional’s from Sefton Council, Living Well Sefton (LWS), NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG are working together to encourage residents to know their numbers and help prevent heart attacks or a stroke so that they can live healthier for longer.

Throughout Know Your Numbers! Week, Living Well Sefton will be offering free blood pressure checks at the following locations:

• Smokefree Sefton, Bootle Strand – Monday, 9 September, 10am-12pm
• Southport Community Centre – Tuesday, 10 September, 10am-12pm
• Feel Good Factory, Netherton – Wednesday, 11 September, 10am-12pm
• Sefton Opera, Bootle – Wednesday, 11 September, 1pm-2.30pm 
• Parenting 2000, Mornington Road, Southport – Thursday, 12 September, 2pm-4pm
• Strand by Me, Bootle Strand, – Friday, 13 September, 10am-12pm

Living Well Sefton will also be offering mini health checks, including a blood pressure test, at Strand by Me in Bootle, Thursday, 12 September, 10am-12pm.

Many key risk factors for developing high blood pressure are largely lifestyle-related such as eating too much salt, not enough fruit and vegetables, being overweight, drinking too much alcohol and not taking enough exercise. High blood pressure is also more likely in older people, if it runs in your family and if you are of African, Caribbean or South-Asian descent.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “It is so important to keep on top of your health and so I am urging Sefton residents to take this opportunity to get your blood pressure checked for free.

“High blood pressure is a largely preventable and treatable condition but contributes to the leading causes of death. Having your blood pressure checked is an important step to knowing and reducing your risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.”

Karen Nolan, Living Well Sefton programme manager, added: “We are happy to be part of Know Your Numbers! Week and can support local people to make minor lifestyle changes that can make a big difference to their blood pressure.

“The Know Your Numbers campaign is a great way to raise awareness of keeping track of your blood pressure but we want to let residents know Living Well can offer support all year round.”

Brendan Prescott, deputy chief nurse at NHS South Sefton CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “Many pharmacies across Sefton will provide information and advice on simple steps to keep blood pressure under control and some will measure your blood pressure accurately.

“A blood pressure check is quick, free, painless and could save your life. You can also have a free blood pressure check in your GP surgery or use an appropriate and recommended home testing machine.”

To find your nearest pressure station online visit: www.happy-hearts.co.uk 

 The events are an opportunity for residents to find out about the work that their local CCG has carried out in the past year. Attendees are also invited to share their experiences of local health services and give their views about the CCGs’ latest and forthcoming programmes and plans for the next 12 months. 

Dr Craig Gillespie, local GP and NHS South Sefton CCG chair, said: “These events give people the chance to have a chat with their local health commissioners and share their feedback about our plans. We will also combine these events with our Annual General Meeting (AGM), so people can find out about how well we have performed during the past year.”

 Dr Rob Caudwell, local GP and NHS Southport and Formby CCG chair, said: “There will also be a ‘marketplace’ of information stalls promoting local health, care and support services. Some of the services attending the events will include Macmillan, Healthwatch Sefton and a 7-day GP extended access.

 “The feedback we receive during these kinds of events is really useful. I encourage anyone that is interested in finding out more about local health services and commissioning, and who is interested in sharing their views on these topics, to attend one of our ‘Big Chat’ events.”

 The ‘Big Chat’ events will take place on:

• NHS Southport and Formby CCG: Tuesday 10 September, 1pm to 4.30pm at The Bliss Hotel (formerly the Ramada Hotel) adjacent to Floral Hall on the waterfront in Southport, PR9 0DZ.
• NHS South Sefton CCG: Thursday 12 September, 1pm to 4.30pm at Bootle Cricket Club, Wadham Road, L20 2DD.

Residents are encouraged to attend the event for their local CCG in order to get the most relevant information.

 People are asked to register in advance by emailing southportandformby.ccg@nhs.net for the event on 10 September, or southsefton.ccg@nhs.net for the event on 12 September. You can also register by calling 0151 317 8456. 

 For more information on the events visit the CCG websites:

https://www.southseftonccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/our-chat-events

https://www.southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/our-chat-events/