Healthcare and medical research

Blood Pressure Association

Increasing awareness of blood pressure risks

One in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure, which equates to 16 million people. However, an estimated five million of them are unaware they are living with this silent killer because it has no obvious symptoms. Raised blood pressure is the most common cause of premature death in the world and is responsible for more than 60 per cent of all strokes and 50 per cent of all heart disease. Failure to control blood pressure to target levels results in 62,000 unnecessary deaths every year. The Blood Pressure Association saw the need to increase awareness about the condition and improve access to free blood pressure checks.

Know your Numbers! week was launched in 2001. It now promotes and offers free blood pressure checks at over 2,770 UK-wide locations. Testing centres are named pressure stations and are staffed by healthcare volunteers, while BPA provides a resource pack to be used by health professionals. Previously funded by the Department of Health, BPA broadened its funding sources to sustain the event and allow it to grow, such as by charging corporate partners for using of BPA resources during the week and accepting sponsorship for certain parts of the event from commercial partners.

When the week was launched, 10,340 people received free blood pressure checks. The event has since grown to become the nation’s biggest blood pressure testing and awareness event. More than 253,000 people received free blood pressure checks at 2,755 pressure stations in 2007. Some 40 per cent of those tested had high blood pressure readings which needed further investigation, and just under a third of those with high readings had neither been told by the GP that they had this problem nor had their pressure checked in the last 12 months. The judges praised a “good, well-run campaign”, and said that “for what they were spending and what they did it made quite an impact”.

Sue Massey
Head of communications
60 Cranmer Terrace
London
SW17 0QS
020 8772 4984
www.bpassoc.org.uk
Reg no. 172906

Force Cancer Charity

Building a cancer support centre

Force is recognised for creating a purpose-built cancer support and information centre in the grounds of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, providing emotional and practical assistance to patients and their relatives. “As a local charity we were receiving lots of calls from parents and families wanting help and support.” says chief executive Meriel Fishwick, “and it became clear there was a real gap in terms of what was being produced. A pilot programme within the hospital gave us encouragement and demonstrated the strong need for support five days a week support.”

Today, a holistic approach of treating the person as well as the disease is commonplace, but back in 1997 it was pioneering. Force decided to tackle issues such as the distress of hair loss, financial worries, and helping parents explain to children why they themselves are struggling to cope, initially operating from within the hospital for half a day a week. But it became clear that space was limited, and that a dedicated centre was required. In 2001 Force trustees approved a contribution of £220,000 from the charity’s reserves towards a state of the art building, an appeal was launched for a further £550,000, and the centre opened in 2005.

Its good work has fully justified the expense. “I was surprised by the sheer demand for these services. We were very quickly seeing over 200 people per week”, says Fishwick. Half of all newly diagnosed patients use the service, while in the past 12 months the centre has recorded 10,000 visits and 2,000 people registering for one or more service. The number of staff has risen to an equivalent of 13 full time members, who are supported by 70 volunteers.

Susie Fishwick
External relations consultant
Corner House
Barrack Road
Exeter
Devon
EX2 5DW
01392 402875
www.forcecancercharity.co.uk
Reg no. 17289

The Stroke Association

Raising awareness of stroke

Stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK and one of the leading causes of severe adult disability.  Every year 150,000 people in England and Wales have a stroke, while the condition costs the NHS and wider economy £7bn a year in treating and caring for people. The Stroke Association identified that awareness, research and prioritisation of stroke lags dangerously behind the other big killers.

In 2005 the Association began to challenge the way stroke was being viewed by the general public, health professionals and politicians. It drew up an ambitious five-year business plan, which included a manifesto setting out key demands to be endorsed by political parties and implemented by health professionals. It called for a sustained health awareness campaign, for stroke to be treated as a medical emergency, investment into acute stroke care and investment into care for stroke survivors.

The Association worked to raise awareness via a variety of means, launching two campaigns each year. It also worked with the National Audit Office on the report Reducing Brain Damage: Faster access to better stroke care, which has been described as one of the most damning critiques of the National Health Service, and closely mirrors the manifesto. In July 2006, the Public Accounts Committee responded by calling for a National Stroke Strategy, which the Association proceeded to play a key part in drafting.

The launch of the draft strategy in December 2007, with a £12m projected spend on awareness-raising, signalled that the Association has won on all of the issues highlighted in its manifesto. Meanwhile, the Association’s helpline now handles 25,000 calls a year and awareness of what a stroke is among the general public has increased from 50 per cent in 2005 to 61 per cent in 2007, well on the way to its target of 65 per cent by 2010.

 “We are delighted with the strategy,” says director of communications Joe Korner, “but what’s most important is that we are already seeing the NHS at local level starting to give a higher priority to stroke. They are making concrete plans for service improvement and they are backed by government support and resources.”

Joe Korner
Director of communications
Stroke House
240 City Road
London
EC1V 2PR
020 7599 0315
www.stroke.org.uk
Reg no. 172949

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