Find out more about the Heart Health Support Programme, helping to identify, diagnose and manage high blood pressure
Your GP practice may be taking part in a new local NHS programme in partnership with ECLIPSE (Equality of Care Led Insights for Patient Safety & Engagement). This free programme is designed to help people keep their hearts healthy by checking and managing blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
In the UK, three in 10 adults have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), and many don’t know they have it because it often has no symptoms. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks, stroke or kidney damage.
Who will be invited to take part in the Heart Health Support Programme?
Patients aged 20-65 years old may be invited to join the programme if their last blood pressure reading was higher than usual. You may also be invited if you have already been diagnosed with hypertension, or are already on medication for your blood pressure, and may benefit from further support to help keep your heart healthy.
Invited patients will receive a text message or phone call from either their GP practice or the ECLIPSE Patient Engagement Team asking them to take an up-to-date blood pressure reading either at home or in a community setting:
- using a blood pressure monitor at home (if you have one)
- at a participating community pharmacy. Find a participating pharmacy near you
- as part of your NHS Health Check if recently invited
- using a GP Surgery Pod (available in some GP practice receptions)
- through the Essex County Council blood pressure monitor library loan scheme (Note: this offer is not currently available in Southend or Thurrock libraries).
How to share your results
You may be asked to:
- upload your readings to a secure NHS patient portal using your NHS number and date of birth or
- contact your GP practice or pharmacy directly with your latest reading.
All data is handled securely and shared with your GP practice so that they can offer you the right support. This could include:
- follow-up appointments with a GP or pharmacist
- medication to lower your blood pressure
- booking your annual NHS Health Check
- access to local lifestyle support services.
Is it safe to share my data on the ECLIPSE platform?
Yes. If you receive an online questionnaire by text (not everyone will), the information you provide is managed safely and securely by ECLIPSE, a trusted NHS data platform used widely across England.
If you have been contacted by your GP practice, you can find more information about how your data is managed on their website.
I’ve been contacted by ECLIPSE but don’t want to share my medical information online. What can I do?
If you don’t want to use the online patient portal, or you are unable to access it, you can speak directly to your GP practice to update your records.
To take part in the programme and support your heart health, you’ll need to provide a new blood pressure reading. This helps ensure you ger the right support. If you choose not to share this information, you won’t be able to be part of the programme.