Reducing barriers to accessing appointments

In early 2024 Healthwatch Torbay were approached by Primary Care and Public Health to ask if we could trial ‘Building Healthy Heart Communities’, as our offices are based in a community library in central Torbay. 

This followed research which stated that you’re six times more likely to die from heart disease in Torbay, with 1 in 6 of these from preventable CVD. Feedback from this suggested that barriers accessing GP Appointments to have blood pressure and health checks were contributing to the increase in CVD in our local area.

We therefore worked with key statutory and voluntary organisations to re-purpose a front-facing part of the Library to be a focal point for local communities to access low-level healthcare support. This included free blood pressure and health checks in partnership with a local GP Surgery.

What difference did this make?

Early detection of high blood pressure and access to blood pressure monitors allows patients to feed data back to their GP without the need for an appointment, so they can identify and treat them for early CVD. 

Several patients identified with raised readings have since returned for follow-up monitoring after being prescribed anti-hypertensive medication. This has helped reduce barriers accessing GP Appointments and address the increase in CVD locally. 

We presented these findings directly to decision makers via our local Adult Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board, who stated that our work evidences 

“the impact of providing support in the community to enable this to be rolled out wider.”