{"id":67062,"date":"2025-09-08T08:34:47","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T07:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=67062"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:38:29","slug":"blood-pressure-monitor-loan-service-launched-50-devon-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/blood-pressure-monitor-loan-service-launched-50-devon-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood pressure monitor loan service launched in 50 Devon libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>From today (Monday September 8) library users visiting our libraries can now borrow a blood pressure monitor and a book at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s all part of The \u2018One Devon\u2019 initiative, led by Devon County Council Public Health, Libraries Unlimited and NHS Devon ICB, and has been launched as part of the local Check Your Blood Pressure campaign to mark Know Your Numbers! Week<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over 50 of our libraries 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our aim is to encourage more people to regularly check their blood pressure at home &#8211; and submit their reading to their local surgery &#8211; as it could save their life. It also saves time for patients and clinicians, freeing up valuable GP appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Kay Interview - Check your blood pressure\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/Z-VXpyMQ2UM?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-68be8717b16c4\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right other has-white-color has-black-background-color grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Devon GP Dr Kay Brennan, the Strategic Clinical Advisor in Long Term Conditions, NHS Devon, said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cOne in three adults in the UK have raised blood pressure but many don\u2019t realise it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Devon nine per cent of adults may have undiagnosed high blood pressure.\u00a0But the good news is there are small everyday choices that we can make to help bring it down.\u00a0 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.\u00a0Your\u00a0local pharmacy\u00a0can check your blood pressure, or you can check it yourself at home with an easy to use monitor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHigh 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\u2019s situation is different, and understanding these factors can help support better blood pressure management.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/09\/Dr-Kay-Brennan.png\" alt=\"Dr Kay Brennan\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n            \t        Dr Kay Brennan, Strategic Clinical Advisor in Long Term Conditions &#8211; NHS Devon             <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Iain Harris, 54,<\/strong> used his local library\u2019s blood pressure monitor as part of an earlier Devon pilot scheme and he said the new service will be hugely beneficial to library users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said: \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-68be8717b1970\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Devon County Council\u2019s Cabinet Member responsible for public health, communities and libraries, said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cHigh blood pressure is extremely serious but many either don\u2019t know they have it or have the means to check it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s vitally important to know what your readings are \u2013 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s why we\u2019ve launched the scheme to make it easier for people to check.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLibraries 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\u2019s where parents take their children to Lego club on Saturday mornings, it\u2019s where you can access online services; they host community fridges and offer safe warm spaces when the winter nights draw in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now, as easily as taking out a book, you can now borrow a monitor to check your blood pressure at home. Its quick and easy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/3\/9\/5\/Info00011593\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11593\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs and Broadband<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>More information about the Check Your Blood Pressure campaign can be found on the <a href=\"https:\/\/onedevon.org.uk\/check-your-blood-pressure\/\" rel=\"noopener\">NHS Devon website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":859,"featured_media":67064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[106,34,2144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-social-care","category-community","category-public-health","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":67064,"title":"Blood pressure 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