What we do

NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh jointly run hypertension and lipid services across Lothian, discover what activities these services offer.

Hypertension Service

The clinics provide advice and information to patients, and to colleagues in both primary and secondary care who have been referred.

European Society of Hypertension Excellence Centre
Lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and medication adherence
Home monitoring of BP and the purchase of affordable, validated devices
Cardiovascular risk assessment
Management of complex and treatment-resistant hypertension
Management of hypertension and cardiovascular risk in linked conditions, such as renal disease and diabetes, pregnancy, Turner’s syndrome, arteritis and aortic dissection
Exclusion, and if found treatment, of secondary causes of hypertension such as Conn’s syndrome, Cushing syndrome, phaeochromocytoma and renal artery stenosis

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Service

An Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Service is provided not only for the clinic patients, but also for colleagues in primary and secondary care by referral. For outpatient referrals, advice is provided by letter and in clinic the data informs clinical decision-making for patients.

Lipid Service

Cardiovascular risk assessment and advice on lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption
Advice about treatment and complex patients
Genetic screening for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia, and other inherited dyslipidaemias
Close relationship with Paediatric Familial Hypercholesterolaemia clinic, and Adult Inherited Metabolic Disorders Clinic
Assessment for PCSK9 inhibitor therapy
Referral for plasma-exchange

Clinician guidance

Guidance is provided to clinicians on:

Whether patients should start treatment (or in some cases stop treatment), guided by gold standard ambulatory BP measurement, as in NICE guidance
Whether patients are adhering to treatment with urine drug adherence screening and directly observed therapy

GP advice

The clinic offers GPs advice about the management of patients with complex hypertension or lipid disease, which requires responses in writing. There is an e-advice line available through RefHelp to provide rapid responses to GPs.