HMS Sultan Staff Know Their Numbers

Royal Navy training establishment HMS Sultan has been offering free blood pressure checks to staff during the Blood Pressure Association’s ‘Know Your Numbers’ week.

The Gosport base is among more than 1,500 official ‘Pressure Stations’ taking part in the nation’s biggest blood pressure testing event run by the UK charity.

From Monday September 18 until today, the Blood Pressure Association and HMS Sultan has been educating staff about the dangers of having high blood pressure - a dangerous condition which, if not managed correctly, can cause an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.

Military personnel all undergo regular medicals, with blood pressure checks being a key part of the process, so this campaign was primarily targeted at the civilian instructors and support staff on the base.

The initiative was headed up by resident Occupational Health Nurse Graham Hayward, who said:

“This is a great health promotion activity, which has received support from everyone at Sultan. We’ve identified a number of people who could perhaps benefit from some lifestyle tips and of course, any serious cases will be referred to their GP.”

Commodore Mark Slawson, the Commanding Officer of HMS Sultan said:

“This is something which is very important. It’s a simple and painless test, which you can only gain from. It will let you know how to manage your life, to an extent – whether you need to alter your diet or take more exercise.”

Paul Newman, Chief Executive of the Blood Pressure Association, said:

“We are delighted that HMS Sultan is taking part in Know your Numbers Week 2011. Every organisation that takes part helps to emphasise the importance of knowing your blood pressure numbers and by offering the free checks could be saving lives.”