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Easing the pressure: Tackling hypertension toolkit

Author/Editor: Maryon-Davis, Dr Alan; Press, Dr Vivienne on behalf of the Cardiovascular Health Working Group of the Faculty of Public Health
Produced by: Faculty of Public Health; National Heart Forum, 2005
ISBN: 1 900273 15 2
Cost: Free
Download Available: Hypertension toolkit

Easing the pressure: tackling hypertension is a toolkit for developing a local strategy to tackle hypertension. It is intended to help local multi-agency teams - including public health, health promotion and primary care professionals, and strategic planners in both NHS and local government - develop and implement strategies and action plans, not only to identify and treat patients with hypertension but also to promote healthier lifestyles and environments to prevent hypertension in the first place.

Easing the pressure: tackling hypertension - online resource includes links to online tools including a 'Hypertension ready reckoner' - an online calculator to help estimate local prevalence, as well as proformas and checklists to help assess local need and monitor progress.

Limited hard copies of the toolkit can be ordered direct from the Faculty of Public Health or via email.

While other information on the toolkit such as individual tools, links to online proformas, checklists, and the calculator can be downloaded from the Faculty of Public Health website here

See NHF press release: 25/05/05 - Urgent action needed to tackle the 'silent killer'


The executive summary or individual sections of this toolkit are also available to download below:


Executive summary: Easing the Pressure: Tackling Hypertension Toolkit - Exec 

Individual sections:

A: Hypertension: the public health burden
This section defines hypertension. It outlines the risk factors for hypertension, who is most at risk and why. It also describes the burden hypertension places on individuals, on society and the NHS - its prevalence, its health effects and financial costs.

B: Reducing the burden: tackling hypertension
Section B looks at the strategic framework for tackling hypertension through prevention, detection and control. It looks at particular approaches to this, including a 'whole population' approach and an 'at-risk' individual or group approach, as well as considering the supporting evidence and broad principles involved.

C: Developing a local hypertension strategy
This section gives guidance on the practicalities of developing and implementing a local action plan. It provides information on the necessary elements, including deciding what action is need and where it should be targeted, building local partnerships, choosing interventions on prevention, detection and control, and dealing with barriers to change.

D: Resources
The resource section gives further information on relevant publications and guidance, as well as patient information and useful organisations. It also contains the toolset - 15 practical, in-depth resources to help review current activities or services and develop the action plan. (Individual tools are also available to download separately.)

E: Acronyms and Index