By training local volunteers and faith leaders to take blood pressure readings and donating monitors, we’re not just delivering care, we’re enabling communities to take ownership of their health and support each other well beyond a single event. At this particular event at Broxbourne Community Church, we trained 4 new volunteers to take accurate blood pressure readings – including one of our Youth Council members – and donated 4 blood pressure monitors so that screenings can continue well into the future.
“I deeply value the opportunity to contribute towards bringing preventive health services directly into community spaces where they are most needed.” said Seema Datta, volunteer for One Vision charity. “Seeing so many people engage with the service on the day reinforced how vital this work is. A special thank you as well for the blood pressure monitor. We will surely make good use of it within the community, continuing this important work.”
This kind of prevention-focused, neighbourhood-level care is exactly what the NHS 10-Year Plan calls for, bringing health services into trusted spaces, tackling health inequalities, and reaching groups at higher risk, like Black and South Asian communities.
Preventing conditions like hypertension early can dramatically reduce risks of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. But for prevention to work, it must be accessible, inclusive, and built on trust, especially in areas facing deprivation or systemic barriers to care.
“We are working to increase ‘health equity’ to close the avoidable variances in health outcomes that may be due to ethnic background or circumstances in which they live such as poverty, poor housing, disability, caring responsibilities” said Kevin Hallahan, Health Inequalities Lead for Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB. “Partnership with our communities is critical to our aspiration to deliver more personalised and culturally appropriate services closer to home.”
Faith and community groups play a vital role in this effort, offering not only space but also cultural insight, credibility, and dedicated volunteers. One Vision, a key partner in this initiative, is helping to identify and manage high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation in underdiagnosed communities by utilising trusted voices in trusted spaces.
This event is one of many that HWE ICB is supporting across the region, with plans to expand further. Huge thanks to every volunteer and supporter of this initiative so far. When communities own the tools and the skills, good health becomes sustainable.