The multiple today (March 30) said that the free appointments are now available to book at more than 1,000 Boots stores in England.

The “health MOT” includes the NHS blood pressure check service, an “optional” body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference measurement as well as “personalised lifestyle advice”, it added.

The appointments will be available in participating stores from today until the end of June, “subject to availability”, Boots said.

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The free health check, open to over-40s living in England with no prior hypertension diagnosis, aims to “help eligible patients identify and take the right steps to address high blood pressure and the potential for increased risk of other health conditions”, it added. 

Those who have been referred by their GP for a blood pressure check or who are under 40 with a recognised family history of high blood pressure may also be eligible at the pharmacist’s discretion, it said.

 

15-minute consultation

 

The appointment can be booked online or in-store and consists of a 15-minute consultation with a Boots pharmacist, the multiple said.

During the appointment, the pharmacist will provide:

• An NHS blood pressure check with GP referral “if needed”
• An optional BMI and waist circumference measurement
• "Lifestyle guidance” on exercise, nutrition, sleep, mental wellbeing and smoking cessation
• “Personalised” advice and recommendations.

Patients will then receive a booklet containing information on how to lead a healthy lifestyle along with the recorded results of their health check, Boots added.

 

Reduced pressure on the NHS

 

Boots superintendent pharmacist Claire Nevinson said that the “health MOT” aims to help people “gain greater insight into their health and take the steps they need to improve it”.

“As we get older, we become more vulnerable to conditions like high blood pressure, so it’s important that we take steps to help stay healthy,” she added.

And Ms Nevinson said that the checks and advice not only help individual patients but also “[reduce] pressure on the NHS by offering accessible care in pharmacies at the heart of communities”.

 

Patient survey

 

The new offer comes as a new survey commissioned by Boots found that more than two-thirds (68%) of people “want to feel healthier”, the multiple said.

This increased to nearly three in four (73%) in the over-40s, with more than half (54%) of this group motivated by wanting to live longer, it added.

Censuswide surveyed 2,005 adult respondents from across the UK in January, the multiple said.

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Meanwhile, two-thirds (66%) of Boots pharmacy team members reported more patients coming to them “before they are unwell for general healthy living advice” compared to five years ago in a small staff survey also conducted in January, it added.

An estimated six to eight million people are living with undiagnosed or uncontrolled high blood pressure, according to the British Heart Foundation.

It comes as Boots has reported 2% pharmacy sales growth for the last quarter, amid rumours that its parent company is once again looking to sell the business.