Free NHS blood pressure checks over forty, and the rest
Blood pressure and health checks
A free NHS blood pressure check for anyone over forty, with a twenty-four-hour monitor to take home if the reading is high and a report to your GP; plus cholesterol and diabetes screening, weight management on the NHS, ear wax removal by microsuction, and the emergency contraception service, all in the consultation room.
High blood pressure has no symptoms until it has done damage, and a third of people over forty have it without knowing. The NHS pays us to check it, free, in five minutes, and to send you home with a monitor if it is high. We found two hundred and eleven people last year who had no idea.
The blood pressure check is for anyone over forty who has not had one in the last year: five minutes in the consultation room, three readings, and a plain explanation of the numbers. If it is high we lend you a monitor that measures through the day and night, and send the report to your GP with a note; if it is very high we ring the surgery while you are still in the chair. Cholesterol and blood sugar finger-prick tests are available alongside, and the NHS weight management programme, which is twelve weeks of support with a pharmacist, is free for anyone who qualifies.
Ear wax is removed by microsuction, gently, by Owen, who trained for it; £45 for both ears, no drops needed beforehand for most people. The emergency contraception service is free on the NHS, in the consultation room, with no judgement and no questions beyond the ones that matter medically. Smoking cessation support on the NHS, with the products free, runs every week.
What is included
- Free NHS blood pressure check over forty, five minutes
- A home monitor and a report to your GP if it is high
- Cholesterol and blood sugar screening
- NHS weight management, twelve weeks, free if eligible
- Ear wax microsuction, £45 both ears
- Emergency contraception and stop-smoking support on the NHS
What it costs
Blood pressure check free over forty, with the home monitor free if needed. Ear wax microsuction £45 both ears. NHS weight management free if eligible. Emergency contraception free on the NHS. Prices include VAT where it applies. The prices page has every price, the travel vaccine table, and what the NHS covers.
Questions about health checks
Do I need an appointment for a blood pressure check?
No. Ask at the counter; if a consultation room is free you are seen straight away, otherwise within ten minutes or so. It is free if you are over forty.
Is ear wax removal safe?
Microsuction is the method ENT clinics use: a small suction tube under a microscope, no water and no pressure. Owen trained for it and will say if something needs a doctor instead.
Order a prescription, or book a service.
Repeat prescriptions ordered on the prescriptions page are ready in two working days, collected or delivered free. Flu jabs, travel vaccines, blood pressure checks and medicines reviews are booked with the form or by ringing the shop.