Bromley Blood Pressure Checks: Free Drop-Ins 7-11 September

Bromley Council is running three free blood pressure and pulse checks next week, in Mottingham, Bromley and Penge. No booking is needed and anyone can walk in. The council published the times and locations on 3 September.

The sessions run during Know Your Numbers Week, 7 to 11 September, organised nationally by Blood Pressure UK. The three Bromley drop-ins are:

• Monday 7 September, 10am to 2pm: Cranley Parade, Beaconsfield Road, Mottingham, SE9 4DZ
• Thursday 10 September, 10am to 2pm: Bromley Football Club, The CopperJax Community Stadium, Hayes Lane, Bromley, BR2 9EF
• Friday 11 September, 9am to 3pm: Empire Square, Penge High Street, SE20 7EX

Why the borough is a sensible place to run them

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so the number that matters is the number of people who have it and have never been told.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimates that 23,192 adults in Bromley have undiagnosed high blood pressure, 8.75% of the adult population. That is the second highest rate of the 33 London local authorities, and it is above the England figure of 8.64%. The figures come from OHID’s estimated prevalence of undiagnosed adult hypertension indicator, modelled for 2021, published through the Fingertips data service.

For scale, across London:

• Richmond upon Thames, the highest, 8.76%
• Bromley, 8.75%, an estimated 23,192 adults
• England as a whole, 8.64%
• Tower Hamlets, the lowest in London, 6.75%

These are modelled estimates, not counts of real patients. They are best read as an indication of where the undiagnosed cases are likely to be concentrated, and Bromley sits near the top of that list.

The diagnosed picture is also moving. NHS England’s Quality and Outcomes Framework records how many registered patients each area has on a hypertension register. In Bromley that figure fell steadily for a decade, from 13.9% in 2012/13 to a low of 12.9% in 2021/22. It has risen in each of the three years since: 13.3% in 2022/23, 13.6% in 2023/24 and 13.9% in 2024/25. The 2024/25 figure is 49,881 patients out of 359,689 registered.

Bromley’s recorded rate is well above the London figure of 11.3% and below the England figure of 15.2%. Recorded prevalence is a measure of diagnosis, not of health: it counts people a GP has already identified, and it rises with the age of the population on the register. A borough with more older residents will record more.

What the council says

Dr Nada Lemic, Bromley’s Director of Public Health, said: “It is easy to put our health to one side when life is busy, but a simple blood pressure check could be one of the most important things you do this year.”

“Knowing your numbers gives you the chance to act early and make changes that can protect your heart and help you stay well for longer,” she said. “Small steps, such as moving more, eating well or getting the right advice, can add up to a real difference.”

Left untreated, high blood pressure raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. The council’s notice makes the point that people can carry it for years without knowing.

What it means for you

• The three sessions are free and need no appointment. Turn up in the window and you will be checked.
• If you cannot get to one, ask a community pharmacy. The NHS free blood pressure check service is available at many pharmacies in England to people aged 40 and over, without an appointment or a GP referral. Your GP practice can also check you.
• Checking at home counts too. The NHS publishes guidance on how to measure blood pressure at home and what the readings mean.
• A single high reading is not a diagnosis. It is a reason to have it checked again, which is exactly what a drop-in is for.

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