This is an interactive and informal study day designed for the multi-professional primary care team. Please note GPs are most welcome to attend our days however please be aware that the clinical study days are designed with the whole team in mind and are not specifically designed for GPs.

The course will briefly set out the national scene and clarify the need for the effective management of hypertension. Moving on swiftly to the diagnosis of hypertension and the more recent approach to the use of ambulatory and home monitoring, with the roles of the team members laid bare.

The physiology of the normal management of blood pressure are explained with a building story on the wall. This is then the basis for explaining the causes and management of hypertension, facilitating discussion and to support the understanding of the way BP drugs affect this system, the side effects and the reasons for the selection of particular drugs. Once diagnosed and the appropriate treatment and up titration selected, according to the NICE Guidelines, monitoring and targets are the issue. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a potential especially in the older patient, so the cause and prevention of this is explained in an interactive manner. Complicated and rarer causes of hypertension are outlined, and then clinical cases help consolidate the knowledge.

At the end of the day, Delegates will:

• Understand the importance of hypertension and relevance in prevention of CVD
• Understand the principles of diagnosis and management in primary care and the team’s roles
• Understand the rationale behind the National Clinical Guidelines for the management of hypertension in patients in primary care