How general practice is helping patients manage blood pressure at home

Blog by Cheryl O’Sullivan, Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) at NHS Dorset ICB

The improvement in hypertension outcomes in Dorset over recent years is something we can all shout about. Collectively, the investment and efforts of our General Practice, Population Health and Digital teams have resulted in great success.

Hear from Dr Martin Longley, GP, Janine Ord, Head of Population Health, Jo Wilson, Strategic Lead for Prevention, and Cheryl O'Sullivan, Advanced Nurse Practitioner and CNIO, as they give us an update.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however, with a bumpy transition to our new BP@Home technology, we experienced technical issues that needed resolving. The majority of these issues have now been resolved, with additional improvements introduced to increase efficiency. We’ve successfully moved more than 10,000 patients over to the new platform. Practices are now utilising data to identify patients at risk of hypertension to expand the home monitoring offer to additional patients.

Many patients have a preference of how they want their care to be delivered, not necessarily by attending the Practice in person, and our hybrid model of care supports this, particularly for working age adults or those with caring responsibilities. BP@Home supports patients to take ownership of, and become more involved in, their care. Managing hypertension is not just about medication but supporting patients to understand what they can do for themselves in terms of lifestyle measures, as small changes can have a big impact. Feedback from patients is that they like feeling in control of their health and taking ownership of their condition, creating an increased sense of wellbeing.

 BP@Home is a strong example of the three shifts at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Plan. It supports care closer to home, uses digital technology to enable remote monitoring, and focuses on prevention by identifying high blood pressure early and reducing the risk of serious conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. 

Dorset continues to lead the way in showing how digital innovation can improve outcomes, empower patients and support more sustainable models of care.

To find out more and hear from patients benefiting from the service, visit: Blood pressure at home – Stay Well Dorset

You can also view the full BP@Home playlist on YouTube.