Each year in September, Know Your Numbers Week encourages adults across the UK to take a moment to check one of the most important health indicators—your blood pressure.
At Monkbar Pharmacy, we’re supporting the 2025 campaign by reminding our community how quick, easy, and potentially life-saving a blood pressure check can be. As part of the NHS Hypertension Case-Finding Service, we offer free blood pressure checks for eligible adults right here in our York pharmacy.
Why Should You “Know Your Numbers”?
1 in 3: The number of adults in the UK who have high blood pressure.
5-6million: The number of adults in the UK who have high blood pressure and don’t even know it.
50%: The number of heart attacks and strokes that are as a result of high blood pressure.
5: On average every 5mins someone in the UK is admitted to hospital with a heart attack and the number is the same for strokes.
100,000: The potential number of heart attacks and strokes that could be prevented each year if every adult with high blood pressure in the UK knew about it and had their hypertension well controlled.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is known as the “silent killer” for a reason—it often has no symptoms, yet it puts you at serious risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Kidney damage
- Dementia
You could feel perfectly fine while your blood pressure is creeping into dangerous territory. That’s why early detection is so important—and why this week is all about raising awareness.
So What Should Your Numbers Be?
This can vary with age and some people will be given individual ideal blood pressure results if they have some other medical issues but, for most people, an ideal blood pressure reading is between 90/60 and 120/80.
Are You Eligible for a Free NHS Blood Pressure Check?
You can get a free blood pressure check at Monkbar Pharmacy if you:
- Are aged 40 or over
- Live in England and are registered with a GP
- Do not already have a diagnosis of high blood pressure
- Aged 35-39yrs with a family history or one or more risk factors for hypertension (i.e. obesity, very stressful lifestyle)
If your reading is high, we may also offer ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)—a device you wear for 7-14 hours that gives a more accurate picture of your blood pressure throughout the day.
What’s Involved in a Check?
- We’ll ask a few basic questions about your health and lifestyle.
- We’ll measure your blood pressure in a private consultation room.
- If needed, we may offer follow-up monitoring or refer you to your GP.
It’s quick, painless, and could be life-changing.
A Local Service You Can Trust
As your local York city centre independent pharmacy, Monkbar Pharmacy is here to make health care accessible, friendly, and stress-free. You can walk in or book ahead online, and our trained team will guide you every step of the way.
Take Action This Know Your Numbers Week – Some final numbers for you:
ONE: Just a single blood pressure check could reveal something vital about your health—and empower you to take control of it.
TEN: The number of minutes it will take for you to know YOUR numbers
ZERO: The number of reasons NOT to get your blood pressure checked!
👉 Visit Monkbar Pharmacy for your free NHS blood pressure check.
