"Know Your Numbers!" Week shines a spotlight on one of the most pressing yet silent health threats in the UK: high blood pressure. This year's campaign, running from 8-14 September 2025, carries the powerful theme "Looking for the Missing Millions"- a call to action to find the estimated 5 million UK adults aged 18-64 who may be living with undiagnosed hypertension.
Every September, "Know Your Numbers!" Week, led by Blood Pressure UK, shines a spotlight on one of the most pressing yet silent health threats in the UK: high blood pressure.
This year's campaign, running from 8-14 September 2025, carries the powerful theme "Looking for the Missing Millions"- a call to action to find the estimated 5 million UK adults aged 18-64 who may be living with undiagnosed hypertension.
High blood pressure, often symptomless, is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and vascular dementia. Yet, it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. The campaign encourages people to "Know Their Numbers".
As the commissioners of the NHS Health Check programme, councils play a pivotal role in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults aged 40-74. These checks offer tailored advice and early detection of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease.
But councils are going further. Across England, many are:
- expanding access to blood pressure checks beyond GP surgeries-into pharmacies, community centres, libraries, and even supermarkets
- targeting outreach to socio-economically disadvantaged communities, where CVD risk is highest and uptake of health checks is lowest
- partnering with voluntary organisations to deliver flexible, culturally sensitive health improvement programmes
- promoting digital health tools, including the upcoming digital NHS Health Check, which will allow residents to assess their health from home.
These efforts are not just about numbers, they're about equity. CVD disproportionately affects people in deprived areas, those with severe mental illness, and individuals from South Asian and African Caribbean backgrounds.
Councils are using data-driven approaches to reduce health inequalities and ensure that prevention reaches those who need it most.
"Prevention is Power." - Blood Pressure UK
This #KnowYourNumbersWeek, let's celebrate the vital role councils play in finding the missing millions and reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease.
Check out the case studies in Getting under the bonnet: Implementing the NHS Health Check