This is a compilation of key existing research and evidence, including links to publicly accessible content and sites with restricted access for registered users. It is not a comprehensive list of all resources available.
To let us know about missing resources that would be helpful, send an email to publichealthintelligence@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
All links are related to hypertension. This list is not exhaustive.
The data sources and weblinks are verified and trusted sites.
Some sources are restricted to Public Sector & NHS professionals, these are denoted with a **.
Hypertension, also described as continuous high blood pressure, can put extra strain on:
Persistent hypertension can increase the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as:
Even small reductions in blood pressure can help lower the risk of these health conditions.
Blood pressure is recorded with 2 metrics:
Normal blood pressure ranges from 90 to 120 systolic and 60 to 80 diastolic. Low blood pressure is below these thresholds.
High-normal blood pressure is 120 to 140 systolic and 80 to 90 diastolic. High blood pressure is over 140 for systolic and over 90 for diastolic.
Image source: Hypertension campaign launches - Welcome (southeastclinicalnetworks.nhs.uk).
It's not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but some factors can increase the risk, such as:
Healthy lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and help lower blood pressure if it's already high.
High blood pressure often has no or few symptoms. Identifying people with undiagnosed hypertension is important in helping to reduce and/or manage their blood pressure to prevent and reduce the risk of developing more serious conditions.
This has been an aim embedded in:
The NHS provides an overview of hypertension including causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
By March 2022, the prevalence of hypertension in Brighton & Hove, as recorded on GP practice registers, was 9.6% of the total population or 31,515 people. This is the 11th lowest prevalence of the 152 upper-tier local authority(1) areas in England.
This compares to a prevalence of:
The percentage of people with hypertension in Brighton and Hove is lower compared to England. There has been no significant change in the prevalence of hypertension in Brighton & Hove or England since 2012/13 (figure 1).
Figure 1: Trend - Hypertension QOF prevalence (%) (all ages) trend, Brighton & Hove and England, 2012/2013 to 2021/2022.
Source: OHID (FingerTips) - Hypertension: QOF prevalence (all ages).
Our Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy, 2019 to 2030 (Brighton & Hove City Council) sets out our vision for the health and wellbeing of people and communities in Brighton & Hove, together with the core principles which will guide local action to deliver the vision.
It presents a shared view of:
Improving Lives Together (Sussex Health & Care NHS) sets out the current ambition across NHS health and care in Sussex for a healthier future in Sussex. This includes:
The NHS Long Term Plan identifies cardiovascular disease as:
The NHS Long Term Plan sets the ambition for the NHS to help prevent over 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases by 2029. The Plan outlines how the NHS, partners in the voluntary and community sector and other national organisations will meet this ambition.
The Major Conditions Strategy 2023 framework identifies 6 groups of conditions which are collectively the greatest contributors to ill health and early mortality, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). They cause over 60% of years lost to early death or lived in ill health. It recognises that people may have more than one of these conditions and aims to work on addressing similar causes and risk factors.
Core20PLUS5 (adults) – Core20PLUS5 is a national NHS England approach to inform action to reduce healthcare inequalities at both national and system levels. The approach defines a target population – the ‘Core20PLUS’ – and identifies ‘5’ focus clinical areas including hypertension case finding that requires accelerated improvement.
The JSNA executive summary is a local report on the current and future health, social care and wellbeing needs of the population of Brighton & Hove.
The JSNA executive summary includes:
Community Insight is a community mapping and reporting tool specific to Brighton & Hove and the surrounding areas. You can use this tool to view, compare and report on related datasets through maps, dashboards and reports at different geographic levels.
The JSNA life expectancy summary gives information about:
The JSNA Healthy Places summary explores the environment that shapes well-being. This summary is currently in progress.
The Hypertension Data Pack (NHS Sussex) is a compilation of local area comparisons across indicators and sub-groups.
The Hypertension Disease Profile, Office for Health & Disparities (OHID) provides national and local level data, covering hypertension prevalence and blood pressure readings.
The National General Practice Profiles, (OHID) support GPs, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to ensure they're providing and commissioning effective and appropriate healthcare services for their local population.
This information includes:
Each practice can be compared with an ICB sub-location (formerly clinical commissioning groups - CCGs), PCNs and England.
Data Explorer (CVD Prevent, NHS) is a tool from The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit (CVDPREVENT), a national primary care audit informed by GP data. This tool provides open access at Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Primary Care Networks or GP practice level.
The tool also includes:
Adults' health: Hypertension - NHS Digital provides regular survey information that cannot be obtained from other sources. The Health Survey for England is used to estimate:
Ethnicity & Health (NHS Digital) provides:
Hypertension, World Health Organisation (WHO) is a global resource covering:
Global burden of disease (GBD), The Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation gives a comprehensive picture of mortality and disability across countries, time, age, and sex including hypertensive heart disease and its risk factors.
The information quantifies health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors so that health systems can be improved and disparities can be addressed.
Prevention of high blood pressure (hypertension) - NHS provides information on how high blood pressure can often be prevented or reduced, including by:
Risk factors for undiagnosed high blood pressure in England - ONS is an analysis of risk factors for undiagnosed high blood pressure among adults living in private households, using information from the Health Survey for England (2015 to 2019).
Obesity Overview (NHS) gives information about obesity including:
Eating a balanced diet (NHS) gives guidance for a healthy, balanced diet. The information also explains the relationship between too much salt and hypertension.
Exercise overview - (NHS) gives exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing.
Alcohol misuse - (NHS) gives information about alcohol misuse including:
Smoking Health Risks (NHS) gives information and links to conditions related to smoking.
Stress (Every Mind Matters, NHS) gives information about stress including:
Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing (NHS & Age UK) gives advice that may help improve the health and general fitness of people of any age, but it's written to be particularly relevant for people about 70 years or older.
Hypertension & ethnicity (NHS Digital) provides:
Deprivation (NHS) explains the relationship between deprivation and hypertension.
Insight Bank is a restricted collection of resources from local and national engagement, partner organisations and commissioners.
The resources focus on health and other population inequalities. All personal information included is anonymous.
Living with hypertension - (South East NHS) gives guidance, resources and personal stories related to living with hypertension.
Healthwatch (Brighton and Hove) (“Healthwatch”) is the independent watchdog engaging with people and patients from across the city to gather their views, experiences and ideas on health and social care services.
They work to ensure:
Community Works supports the voluntary, community and social (VCS) enterprise sector.
Voluntary and community organisations may have data available on their websites. Find a list of local voluntary and community organisations.
Community Works is the local VCS infrastructure organisation in Brighton & Hove. Every 5 years they publish a financial and social audit of the sector called “Taking Account”. View the most recent Taking Account report.
Blood Pressure UK is a UK charity dedicated to lowering high blood pressure. Alongside information about blood pressure, resources include:
Diabetes UK is a UK charity that supports individuals, communities and professionals with research and news. This page by Diabetes UK explains the relationship between diabetes and blood pressure.
Sussex does not have a Diabetes UK office.
British Heart Foundation is a UK charity that provides:
This page by the British Heart Foundation explains the risk of heart attack and stroke due to hypertension.
This page by the British Heart Foundation explains how ethnic origin can affect heart and circulatory health.
Stroke Association is a UK charity that supports people to rebuild their lives after a stroke. The charity provides:
This page by the Stroke Association explains why hypertension can cause a stroke, and what you can do about it.
Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management, National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) are guidelines covering identifying and treating primary hypertension (high blood pressure) in people aged 18 and over, including people with type 2 diabetes.
The guidelines aim to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes by helping healthcare professionals diagnose hypertension accurately and treat it effectively.
Hypertension in pregnancy: diagnosis and management (NICE) are guidelines which cover diagnosing and managing hypertension (high blood pressure), including pre-eclampsia, during pregnancy, labour and birth.
It also includes advice for women:
The guidelines aim to improve care during pregnancy, labour and birth for women and their babies.
Essential Hypertension - Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment (BMJ Best Practice) is an academic site including an overview, theory, diagnosis, management and clinical resources.
Health matters: combating high blood pressure (Public Health England) is a professional resource that outlines how providers and commissioners can reduce the population's average blood pressure through improved prevention, detection and management.