Blood pressure testing in barbershops is central to neighbourhood health
A pioneering project to bring blood pressure testing into south-east London barbershops has seen almost a quarter of men tested referred for follow-up health checks.
The project is central to the expected recommendations in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, due to be published at the end June 2025, as it showcases neighbourhood health working.
Neighbourhood health aims to create healthier communities, helping people of all ages live healthy, active and independent lives for as long as possible by moving care from hospital to community, by focussing on prevention not treatment and involving the use of technology.
High blood pressure is the third biggest cause of disease in the UK, leading to strokes, heart and kidney diseases, which costs the NHS £2bn annually. Around 30% of men currently have high blood pressure. Black, South Asian and mixed-race men are more likely to have these conditions.
Led by London South Bank University and the Croydon BME Forum, the project trained barbers to offer on-the-spot blood pressure testing, to reach Black and Asian men who have undiagnosed high blood pressure. Of the 167 blood pressure readings carried out over six months, 24% were high and those men were referred for follow-up health checks. Many had not had their blood pressure checked before.
The study, influenced by a successful earlier study with barbershops in Los Angeles, was motivated by a reluctance in some communities to seek healthcare advice, because of difficulties getting NHS appointments, lack of awareness or anxiety around blood pressure testing, and trust in the advice they were receiving. The project is now spreading and in the London Borough of Sutton, the project team includes a community pharmacist who will work with the barbers to undertake health checks.
Reena Barai, Community Pharmacist said: “Health doesn't only exist within the four walls of a hospital, GP practice or community pharmacy and projects like this highlight how we can use our neighbourhood places to promote health, screen for early signs of diseases and identify people who may not present themselves until it is maybe too late."
Dr Laura Benito-Rodriquez, a General Practitioner, said: “We need to change the way we work with our communities to support them to thrive in health and happiness. We know the importance of trust, integrated working and relational-based medicine in reducing health inequity. Projects like this that bring the person at the centre constitute a fantastic opportunity to learn how we design our neighbourhood system to achieve universalism.”
Professor Nicola Thomas, a kidney nurse and Professor of Kidney Care at LSBU, said: “Our barbershop project shows the importance of neighbourhood health. We are now continuing to build on this important work, together with our community partners and medical technology companies, whose support is critical in delivering such an integrated initiative.”