Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, is supporting the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) campaign highlighting the importance of taking prescribed medication as directed by your doctor, pharmacist or nurse, and where you can go for help.
Around 43 per cent of people in the South West have returned medicines without using them, while around 26 per cent have thrown them away putting their heart health at risk.
The statistics have prompted the BHF to launch its Just Like That campaign, featuring the late great comedian Tommy Cooper, urging people with heart problems, high cholesterol and high blood pressure to take their medications.
Around 60 percent of people in the South West have high cholesterol and nearly 30 per cent have high blood pressure. These conditions are known as invisible killers because they don’t have symptoms but left untreated slowly damage blood vessels in the heart and make it easier for potentially deadly clots to form causing a heart attack or stroke.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “The British Heart Foundation has highlighted that many people struggle to take their medication as prescribed and so it’s important to spread the message that there is help out there.
“The nation’s heart charity is raising awareness of a very important issue and anyone who is worried about their medication should give the charity’s friendly and qualified nurses a call for support and guidance.
“I hope this campaign is successful in helping my constituents take Tommy’s catchphrase to heart and they take their medicines, just like that.”
The BHF is asking anyone struggling with their medication to phone its nurses via its Heart Helpline on 0300 333 1 333 or to visit bhf.org.uk/tommy.