Devon Libraries launch blood pressure monitor loan scheme

Library users in Devon can now borrow a blood pressure monitor alongside their books, thanks to a new health initiative launched on Monday, 8^th September.

The One Devon scheme, led by Devon County Council Public Health in partnership with Libraries Unlimited and NHS Devon ICB, is part of the local Check Your Blood Pressure campaign marking Know Your Numbers! Week.

More than 50 libraries across the county are offering blood pressure kits, which can be borrowed for up to three weeks. Each kit contains a monitor, step-by-step instructions, a diary to log results, and guidance on what to do if readings are high.

The initiative aims to encourage people to monitor their blood pressure at home and share readings with their GP practice. Organisers say this could save lives, as well as free up valuable GP appointments.

Devon GP Dr Kay Brennan, Strategic Clinical Advisor in Long Term Conditions for NHS Devon, said:
“One in three adults in the UK have raised blood pressure but many don’t realise it.

“In Devon nine per cent of adults may have undiagnosed high blood pressure. But the good news is there are small everyday choices that we can make to help bring it down. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is through a blood pressure check. Getting this done is easy and can improve the quality of your life. Your local pharmacy can check your blood pressure, or you can check it yourself at home with an easy to use monitor.

“High blood pressure can develop due to a variety of factors. Eating patterns that are high in salt or saturated fats, or low in potassium, may contribute. Other influences can include weight, alcohol use, smoking, stress, and lower levels of physical activity. Everyone’s situation is different, and understanding these factors can help support better blood pressure management.”

For some, like library user Iain Harris, 54, the monitors have already proven life-changing. He took part in a pilot scheme and believes the new service will have wide-reaching benefits.

“I have no doubt they will reveal important hidden health issues for many people and will hopefully prompt healthy changes for those that can, and potentially life-saving medication for those that need it,” he said.

“I’d been under some stress, so I decided to use the library blood pressure monitor. The good news was it was very easy to use. The bad news was the reading, 192/100, was extremely high.

“It was upsetting but it was the nudge I needed to make changes. I made appointments at my health centre, and they sent me a chart to monitor my blood pressure so that I could seek further advice and consider medication if it remained high. As soon as I adopted lifestyle changes it came down drastically.

“The high blood pressure reading was a real shock, but strangely, a helpful one. It gave me clear evidence that stress really does affect my health that awareness was the push I needed to start doing things differently.

“It was the wake up call I needed. I would have carried on my habitual ways and not taken steps to improve my health without it.”

Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Libraries, said the scheme was a natural fit for libraries.

“High blood pressure is extremely serious but many either don’t know they have it or have the means to check it.

“It’s vitally important to know what your readings are – it means that you can start making healthy lifestyle changes or start taking medicines if you need them to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level.

“And that’s why we’ve launched the scheme to make it easier for people to check.

“Libraries are the perfect places to provide this service; over the past few years the importance and value of libraries as community and social hubs has significantly increased; it’s where parents take their children to Lego club on Saturday mornings, it’s where you can access online services; they host community fridges and offer safe warm spaces when the winter nights draw in.

“And now, as easily as taking out a book, you can now borrow a monitor to check your blood pressure at home. It’s quick and easy.”

More details on the Check Your Blood Pressure campaign are available on the NHS Devon website.