Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the largest cause of premature deaths in deprived areas, but it’s also been identified as the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years.

This inspired Heart Research UK, LHCH and LFC to create a project to improve the heart health of the local Liverpool population. Nearly half of the city’s primary schools are in highly deprived areas*, and this is where the project will direct its efforts.

The health check day at Fazakerley Primary School was a pilot and we’re hoping to roll out the same concept in other schools and areas.

An American style school bus was parked outside the school all day for teachers, carers, and parents to learn more about blood pressure, heart rhythm, and lungs with the opportunity to get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked by LHCH nurses. Healthcare professionals were also giving out healthy lifestyle advice and signposting to services like smoking cessation.

In total, 101 people attended the bus during the day and they all found it both useful and informative. Nurses found that 16% of the attendees had raised blood pressure, and although a single reading is not a diagnosis, for some this will be the first important step on the way to confirm high blood pressure and management to their risk of developing heart disease. 45 people were advised to make contact with their GP for a variety of health reasons which included further blood pressure check, pulse check, smoking cessation referral amongst other reasons.

Through our own Primary School Programme, the children in Year 6 were also educated on the importance of heart health. They were taken on an exciting journey through the heart, using virtual reality and computer games. The programme is entirely free for schools to sign up to and covers all the heart and circulatory points on the KS2 curriculum.

Liverpool FC Foundation also delivered an after-school PE lesson that the children took part in.

*The deprivation data has been provided by Intel Analytics at Liverpool City Council and is based on 2019 data collection and therefore may be subject to change.