Quality standard
This quality standard covers managing hypertension in adults. It includes diagnosis and investigations, treatment and specialist referral. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It does not cover treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease, which is covered in NICE's quality standard on cardiovascular risk assessment and lipid modification.
In September 2015, changes were made to this quality standard to align it with related NICE quality standards. Statement 3 on statin therapy was removed and replaced by statements in NICE's quality standard on cardiovascular risk assessment and lipid modification.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them.