Tesco has partnered with the British Heart Foundation to highlight its pharmacies’ blood pressure service.
February is the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Month, in which the charity raises awareness of “the risks of high blood pressure and the importance of early detection”.
The service is available at over 350 locations, with Tesco describing the health check as “quick and friendly”.
High blood pressure often has no symptoms and the British Heart Foundation has estimated that “up to five million adults in the UK may be living with the condition undiagnosed”.
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Tesco will offer “free walk-in and pre-booked 10‑minute” tests, which are “carried out in private consultation rooms”.
Pharmacy staff will “explain the results clearly and, if a raised reading is detected, guide customers towards the appropriate next steps or support”.
Tesco’s category director for health and wellness, Tom Lye, said Tesco wanted to make “looking after your health to feel as simple as going into Tesco to do a shop.
“A few minutes in store can help to give peace of mind or get you support early if it’s needed,” he added
High blood pressure
The British Heart Foundation’s chief scientific and medical officer, Professor Bryan Williams OBE, said: “High blood pressure affects roughly one in three adults in the UK, yet many people remain unaware they have it because it usually presents no obvious signs.
“When it goes undetected, it can significantly raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes, which is why it’s so important for as many people as possible to get their blood pressure checked.”
“Getting your blood pressure checked at a community location like your local Tesco is quick, straightforward and could be one of the most vital steps you take to protect your heart and overall health,” he added.
This comes after Tesco Pharmacy partnered with Pampers in January, to provide new parents with complimentary sleepsuits for premature babies.
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Tesco Pharmacy said they were “expanding their support”, as the sleepsuits were available with a parent or carer’s “first collection of nappies” from one of their pharmacies.
The supermarket also confirmed in June that they were closing eight pharmacies in the south east of England, “in line with customer demand”.
Tesco reassured its customers that with every pharmacy that was closing, there was another location available within a five mile radius.