Hypertension Case Finding

The Service

Thiis service will have 2 stages

1. Stage 1: Identifying people at risk of hypertension and offering them blood pressure monitoring (clinic check).
2. Stage 2: Where clinically indicated, provide 24hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The blood pressure test results will be shared with the patient’s GP to then inform a potential diagnosis of hypertension.

Contractors opting to provide the service must undertake both stages of it, where clinically required, it is not possible to just undertake stage 1 - clinic BP readings and not stage 2 - ABPM.

Service Specification: Download here

Fees

The fees for this service are as follows:

• a set-up fee of £440
• a fee for each clinic check of £15
• a fee for each ambulatory monitoring of £45

ABPM Completion Incentive

The incentive fees across years 3, 4 and 5 of CPCF for the service to encourage delivery of ABPM.

Pharmacies will need to reach a threshold number of ABPMs provided to trigger the incentive payment:

• Year 3 threshold 5, incentive payment £1,000 (21/22)
• Year 4 threshold 15, incentive payment £400 (22/23)
• Year 5 threshold 20, incentive payment £400 (23/24)

ABPM should be offered to all patients who are clinically indicated (have had a high BP result as part of their clinical check).

Pharmacies who sign up after year 2021/22 must achieve the ABPM activity threshold specified for the given financial year and will receive £1,000 as a first payment. If a contractor signs up in year 3 and fails to do 5 ABPMs, they can earn £1,000 by doing 15 ABPMs in year 4.

The incentive payments will be funded separately by NHSE&I to incentivise case finding in line with the ambition outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.

BP meter & ABPM meter

Equipment used to deliver the service must be validated by the British and Irish Hypertension Society (BIHS), so contractors must use a ‘normal’ BP meter and an ABPM which are included on one of the two following BIHS lists:

• Validated BP Monitors for Home Use
• Validated BP Monitors for Specialist Use

Training requirements

The service must be delivered by the pharmacist (ongoing discussions). To provide the service, pharmacists must:

• Be familiar with the NICE guideline Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management [NG136]
• Have read and understood the operational processes to provide the service as described in the service specification
• Have completed any device training provided by the manufacturer/supplier

Additional optional training

CPPE hypertension gateway page of the CPPE website.

For further information visit the Hypertension Case Finding page on the PSNC website.