LIBRARY users are now able to borrow a blood pressure monitor and a book at the same time with the launch a new service available in Devon’s public libraries from Monday, September 8.

The “One Devon” initiative, led by Devon County Council Public Health, Libraries Unlimited and NHS Devon ICB, has been launched as part of the local Check Your Blood Pressure campaign to mark Know Your Numbers! Week

More than 50 libraries in Devon, including Crediton Library, now have blood pressure kits which can be borrowed for up to three weeks.

The kits include a monitor, a simple instruction leaflet, a blood pressure diary to record the readings, and advice on what to do if numbers are high.

The aim is to encourage more people to regularly check their blood pressure at home - and submit their reading to their local surgery - as it could save their life. It also saves time for patients and clinicians, freeing up valuable GP appointments.

Devon GP Dr Kay Brennan, the Strategic Clinical Advisor in Long Term Conditions, 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.”

Iain Harris, 54, used his local library’s blood pressure monitor as part of an earlier Devon pilot scheme and he said the new service will be hugely beneficial to library users.

He said: “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.

“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 responsible for public health, communities and libraries, said: “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 information about the Check Your Blood Pressure campaign can be found on the NHS Devon website (https://onedevon.org.uk/check-your-blood-pressure/).