Students from Keele’s School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering have put their skills into practice as they helped a local pharmacist deliver free blood pressure checks to the community.  

Working with Pritpal Grewal from Cornwell’s Chemists in Wolstanton, a group of nine Pharmacy students volunteered to set up shop at the recent Staffordshire County Show to offer the checks to members of the public free of charge, as part of Cornwell’s initiative to offer free NHS health checks to all over 40s who haven't been diagnosed with high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes.  

As well as giving the patients their results many of the students also went one step further by using their clinical training to offer lifestyle advice for those with higher blood pressures, to help them take steps to minimise the risks associated with it.  

Kate Webb, Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice and the School’s Placements Lead, said: “We were delighted to work closely with colleagues at Cornwell’s Chemists to help offer this experience for our students, which benefitted our local community. Despite the weather, all the students had a fantastic time and learnt a lot from the event”  

Mr Grewal, Pharmacist Store Manager and Deputy Superintendent at Cornwell’s, also thanked the students for their professionalism and their help with the campaign, adding: “The students all came across very professional in front of the patients and looked like future pharmacists in the making. I particularly like the way some of them started engaging the patients with their BP results, which led to some lifestyle advice.   

“I hope the students found the experience useful and that it has helped negate some of the trepidation associated with being in a one-to-one patient consultation.”