Initiatives aimed at tackling high blood pressure and raised cholesterol among Knowsley residents are achieving success.
Increasing numbers of Knowsley residents are taking action to check if they have high blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels – and making healthy changes to their lifestyle such as stopping smoking, being more active or taking medication to tackle these issues.
Both high blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol levels are key risk factors in causing cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.
Recent figures, released during *May Measurement Month, have revealed that there are 27,593 Knowsley residents who are recorded as having high blood pressure (17.4% of the population), while 19,112 people living in the borough have high total cholesterol (12.1%).
In recent years, Knowsley Council’s Public Health team has promoted a number of initiatives helping residents to identify these issues. These include free NHS Health Checks at GP practices for people over 40 and the installation of a digital health check kiosk at venues across the borough.
Between May 2024 and April 2025, 3,086 Knowsley residents used the health kiosks. Of these, 11% were identified as having high blood pressure and advised to seek the advice of a medical professional.
In 2024-25, 5571 NHS health checks were carried out in GP practices:
- 2549 (46%) had high total cholesterol.
- 539 (10%) had high blood pressure.
Treatment received by residents has resulted in an increase in the number of patients with high blood pressure achieving a healthier BP reading in the last 12 months from 61% to 64%.
Cllr Christine Bannon, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Health said: “It’s good to see that an increasing number of residents are taking the opportunity to check their blood pressure or cholesterol levels and getting the treatment and advice they need to manage these conditions.
“By spotting these issues early, we are then able to make lifestyle changes or go on medication to help reduce the risk of serious illness in the future.”
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*May Measurement Month, launched by the International Society of Hypertension, aims to highlight the importance of better prevention, detection and treatment of high blood pressure.