Blood Pressure UK – Know Your Numbers Week

Carers Oxfordshire is raising awareness of Know Your Numbers! Week (8th – 14th September 2025), a national campaign by Blood Pressure UK aimed at highlighting the importance of checking blood pressure. High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it usually has no symptoms, yet it is a leading preventable cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.

Did you know that around 5 million adults* in the UK may be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure?

For carers, looking after your own health is just as important as caring for someone else. A simple blood pressure check this September could help protect your future — and those who rely on you.

It’s easy to take action: check your blood pressure at home, at your GP, local pharmacy, or at free events across Oxfordshire, running throughout September courtesy of NHS in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board. Even one small lifestyle change can make a difference to your heart health.

Dr Heike Veldtman, local GP and lead for cardiovascular health at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, adds: “A simple test can save lives. With early detection, most people can manage high blood pressure through lifestyle changes or, if appropriate, with medication.”

You can find out more about Know Your Numbers! Week on the Blood Pressure UK website.

*Source: PHE – High blood pressure: understanding the impact and opportunities for action, 2016. The report says: Of 12.5 million people in England with hypertension, 5.5 million (44%) were undiagnosed. That undiagnosed number has since been widely rounded to “around 5 million” in national campaigns.