With raised blood pressure the number one cause of preventable death worldwide, understanding the risks and how to reduce them is a hugely important part of keeping yourself healthy.

With this in mind, more than 130 people attended a blood pressure awareness event and had their pulse checked at Bexhill Primary Care Network and Little Common and Old Town surgery in March.

At the event, more than 40 people were found to have raised blood pressure and two people were started on treatment (for high cardiovascular risk) on the day.

If left untreated high blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to heart problems, strokes and damage to other vital organs.

Bexhill PCN is supporting GP practices across Bexhill with Cardiovascular Disease prevention and diagnosis by ensuring people receive a follow-up appointment to confirm, or exclude, hypertension and to carry out pulse checks to detect atrial fibrillation.

The event was attended by the local healthy lifestyle service, One You East Sussex (OYES), which provided information on the range of support and programmes they offer. The service took eight referrals on the day with six to weight management and two to Stop Smoking services.