Community Pharmacy Scotland is recruiting pharmacies across the country to trial a hypertension app.

The project starts in August, with the Scottish Government saying it wants 50 to 250 pharmacies to take part.

The app is being rolled out by the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI), which has supported the government’s response to the Covid pandemic, alongside healthcare technology company Cohesion Medical. It aims to help patients manage a condition that affects about a quarter of Scotland’s population over the age of 16.

High blood pressure or hypertension can increase the risk of a stroke or heart attack if left untreated.

CPS chief Harry McQuillan, who described the app as “a new and exciting development,” is appealing to pharmacies to participate in the trial. Those that do will be anonymous and will be given a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor to recording readings.

Mr McQuillan said pharmacies should not be concerned about patients’ “personal data going back and forward” during the trial because it will not record identifiable information and will comply with GDPR requirements.

CPS said “dummy patient details” will be created “so that blood pressure readings are not attached to an identifiable person".

Mr McQuillan said the aim for now is “to prove this works and is scalable across the country in something the [pharmacy] network can do.”

CPS will also form a team of 10 to 12 members who will meet with Cohesion and DHI to discuss the trial’s progress.