OUR VISION

Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, rarely has obvious symptoms and, if left untreated, increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

It is estimated that one in four adults – 15,000 people – in Stockport has high blood pressure without knowing it. Each year in Stockport this contributes to 450 heart attacks and 220 strokes.

NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is committed to addressing local health inequalities. Commissioners believe that public awareness and education are key to cutting the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The CCG had identified that there were 12,948 adults in Stockport between the age of 40 and 74 who had not had their blood pressure checked in the last five years. Anecdotal evidence collated by commissioners also suggested that working people did not have time to get their blood pressure checked.

Greater Manchester Commissioning Support Unit’s campaigns team worked with the CCG and Stockport Council’s public health department to develop and deliver an effective public health campaign aimed at reducing the number of people in Stockport who hadn’t had a recorded blood pressure test in the past five years.

The campaign supports the CCG’s aim to ensure better prevention and early identification of the disease, and forms part of a long-term strategy to improve heath and reduce inequalities.

Campaign aims:

• raise awareness of the importance of knowing your blood pressure
• raise awareness of the associated risks of high blood pressure
• outline preventative measures such as diet, exercise and salt intake.

Objectives:

• decrease the number of people between 40-74 who have not had a recorded blood pressure reading in the past five years
• raise awareness of the free blood pressure check available to those aged 40-74
• increase take-up of free blood pressure checks by 50 per cent 
• identify people with high blood pressure and encourage them to seek treatment and improve their lifestyles.

Our approach:

• we listened to the aims and objectives for the campaign
• we considered the challenges and perceived barriers 
• we kept in mind the audience and stakeholders and the need to keep the campaign local. 

With the above considered:

• we developed a phased campaign plan in line with pre-defined budgets and timescales
• we developed a thorough design brief for creative execution
• we presented initial creative concepts, and provided materials to allow for public evaluation and insight
• we designed, developed and project-managed all agreed deliverables to artwork and production.

A key part of the work involved developing a strong brand that would engage people and instill a sense of community. We used a red balloon to demonstrate high blood pressure, along with an illustration of the people of Stockport to get across a friendly, community feel.

Phase 1: We began with a soft launch, placing Wellpoint kiosks at seven community sites in Stockport for a three month period. The kiosks electronically measured blood pressure, weight, and body mass index to check an individual’s risk of developing heart disease. This was relayed directly to the patient’s GP.

Phase 2: We launched the campaign in April with a week-long health awareness roadshow at the town’s main shopping centre. A team of health professionals, including GPs and nurses, attended each day to record blood pressure and to push the campaign message from the CCG. 

Phase 3: Outreach activity is currently taking place with Stockport employers to target men aged between 40 and 74. Two events will take place every week from June until November at local businesses with 50 or more employees to raise awareness of the campaign and offer free blood pressure checks. The outreach activity also extends beyond the target group to community events such as carers days, carnivals and social housing.

This campaign is supported by outdoor media, including billboards, bus advertising, petrol pump covers, and beer mats. Promotional items include banner stands, leaflets, posters and banner pens, as well as press adverts and web banners. There has also been a dedicated PR with the local media. 

Social media has been used to support the campaign through Twitter and a dedicated Facebook page. The hashtag #CHECKIT has been used consistently throughout, and monitoring and ongoing analysis was carried out using specialist software. This allowed us to hone our social media messages to match the expectations of our audience.

• the campaign launched in April and is ongoing until November, with results being recorded and filtered through to GPs throughout Stockport
• early indications from the campaign launch show targets have exceeded expectation by more than 10 per cent in the first three days
• approximately 1,000 blood pressure checks were undertaken at the launch alone
• good coverage of the campaign in the local press – Stockport Express East and Stockport Express West – each publication has a circulation of around 40,000
• 60 Facebook posts, 63 Twitter posts, 65 retweets, 66 likes, approximately 500 clicks to more information, with a reach of 243.8k
• the campaign has achieved results that have gone beyond expectations, for example:
           o   improved relationships and collaboration between the CCG, GPs, practice nurses and hospital staff

           o   practice nurses are very keen to support future events and taking what they learn back into their own practices
           o   38 per cent of people who attended the launch event had hypertension, more than the one in four that the CCG predicted
           o   the campaign launch and outreach events are picking up a number of people who are classed as ‘hypertensive 
                emergencies'. Many of these people have no idea that their health is at risk and are being advised to seek treatment quickly.

“GMCSU’s campaigns service provides the kind of high-quality specialist advice that you need when planning a campaign. The approach that was taken enabled innovative ideas to flow from the whole team, but also helped us to plan the activity in a structured way.

“The support from our campaigns lead was fantastic. She has provided a consistently high level of service, is hardworking, committed, creative and enthusiastic about our priorities. We have an excellent relationship with the team as a whole, who clearly understand our business and our needs. 

“GMCSU’s impact on our drive to reduce high blood pressure has been significant and reflects their strengths in the campaigns field.”

Louise Hayes, Head of Communications, NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group