From 3 September 2026, community pharmacies across England will no longer be able to provide NHS-funded blood pressure checks for some patients.
What is changing?
Patients who:
- have an existing diagnosis of high blood pressure, or
- require routine blood pressure monitoring as part of the ongoing management of another condition, such as diabetes or pregnancy
will no longer be able to get NHS-funded blood pressure checks at community pharmacies across England.
Who can still receive a blood pressure check at pharmacies?
People who meet the following criteria can still have their blood pressure checked at pharmacies:
- Aged 40 years and over.
- Do not have a diagnosis of high blood pressure; and
- Have not had a blood pressure check within the last five years.
There are limited exceptions for some patients aged under 40 years who do not have diagnosed high blood pressure but have a family history of high blood pressure or are at increased risk of developing the condition, including people from South Asian and African-Caribbean backgrounds.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)
GP practices may continue to refer patients for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) where this is required.
Support for patients with diagnosed high blood pressure
Patients who have previously used community pharmacies for ongoing blood pressure monitoring following a high blood pressure diagnosis might want to consider:
- buying a blood pressure monitor to use at home. A guide to choosing a blood pressure monitor is available on the British Heart Foundation website
- use a GP surgery blood pressure pod (where available)
- speaking to their GP practice about the best way to monitor their blood pressure going forward