Nearly 115,000 adults in the South West have been tested and treated for high blood pressure over the past two years to protect them against heart attack and stroke.
New NHS data reveals that between September 2023 and December 2025, an additional 114,910 South West adults, aged 40 years old and older, were checked and treated for high blood pressure, taking the overall regional total to 68.7 percent.
However, tens of thousands more may unknowingly be living day to day with risky pressure, which often shows no symptoms. People can feel fine but therir blood pressure might still be too high.
NHS health chiefs in the South West are now urging those people to come forward before it's too late. All it takes is a quick test, either to put the mind at rest or to enable the NHS to provide effective treatment.
The renewed appeal comes after World Hypertension Day highlighted the continued importance of raising awareness of high blood pressure and encouraging people to get checked.
Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the South West, said: “While we’re continuing to see people come forward to have their blood pressure checked and treated as they become more aware of this ‘silent killer’, we really want to find those thousands of people in our region potentially still walking around, unidentified and untreated.”
Sometimes people might get headaches, feel dizzy, find it hard to breathe, have chest pain, or get nosebleeds—but often there are no signs at all.
Dr Smith added that he only way to know for sure is to check blood pressure.
People can do this at a pharmacy, doctor’s surgery, or at home.
People who are under 80 may have high blood pressure if:
- A doctor checks it and it is 140/90 or higher, or
- You check it at home and it is 135/85 or higher.
For more information on the importance of a blood pressure check, knowing what those numbers mean and what to do next, visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/our-work/blood-pressure/
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