NEL Dental Practice Blood Pressure and AF Case Finding Pilots

We pleased to inform you of a pilot scheme that has been approved in North East London (NEL) for blood pressure (BP) and atrial fibrillation (AF) case finding in some of our general dental practices. This will be implemented in some parts of NEL over the next few months. We will keep you updated on the progress and any impact on your local pathways over the next few months. In the meantime, we welcome input and feedback from you as stakeholders and providers.

The pilot is aimed at identifying people who have not had checks in the past 2 years and will be offered to NEL residents only. It is part of a national pilot programme funded by NHSEI. Details of the pilot scheme and the standard operating procedure (SOP), which includes outline pathways, can be found on the NHS Futures site Hypertension – National Cardiovascular Disease Prevention – FutureNHS Collaboration Platform. The intention is for patients who have been found to have an adverse finding to be referred to a local community pharmacy for Blood Pressure Monitoring and then for the results to be sent to their GP practice. In some cases referrals may be made directly to more urgent services depending on the local pathway.

NEL ICB has established a task and finish group to develop and implement the pilot. This group will identify participant practices and agree local pathways in line with national SOP. If you have any questions or feedback about this development please contact f.erne@nhs.net.