Hypertension in Australia

High blood pressure (hypertension) is the leading risk factor for death in Australia and the world, leading to 10.8 million deaths globally each year. Currently, in Australia high blood pressure is under diagnosed and poorly managed. One in 3 adults in Australia has hypertension, but only half of these people know they have it. Of those, only 32% have it controlled to target levels with medication or lifestyle.

Raised blood pressure in Australia is responsible for 43% of coronary heart disease, 41% of stroke, 38% of chronic kidney disease and 32% of atrial fibrillation. Unfortunately, Australia’s blood pressure control rates lag behind countries like Germany, South Korea, Canada and the US (Schutte 2022).

The National Hypertension Taskforce

To address this national health problem, the ACvA and Hypertension Australia have joined forces and established the National Hypertension Taskforce with a vision to increase Australia’s blood pressure control rates from 32% to 70% by 2030.

 

The National Hypertension Taskforce is cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary. It is the result of multiple stakeholders coming together to focus on a single goal. The Taskforce has members representing consumers with lived experience, primary care doctors, specialist clinicians, allied health, pharmacists, nurses, researchers, peak bodies and professional societies.

 

The Taskforce is informed by domestic and international consultation with experts which took place as part of the ACvA’s Hypertension Clinical Theme Initiative which brings the cardiovascular and stroke sector’s together to strategically address the biggest unmet needs in cardiovascular disease and stroke.

 

The National Hypertension Taskforce is Co-Chaired by Professor Alta Schutte and Professor Markus Schlaich.

International Advisory Group

An International Advisory Group has been established to provide strategic advice on implementation and policy approaches to achieving the goals of the Taskforce.

 

They are:

  • Professor Norm Campbell, Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, Canada
  • Professor Sheldon Tobe, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
  • Professor Janet Wright, Director, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, USA
  • Professor Pedro Ordunez, Advisor for Chronic Diseases,
  • Professor Andrew Moran, Director, Global Hypertension Control Resolve to Save Lives
  • Professor Mike Rakotz, Vice President, Health Outcomes, American Medical Association
  • Professor Paul Muntner, Principal Deputy Director, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA

Taskforce Launch

The National Hypertension Taskforce was officially launched by the Honourable Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care on the 8th December 2022.

You can read the complete transcript HERE.

Taskforce Priorities and Working Groups

The Taskforce has identified five key priority areas using the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Process that will be critical on the path to achieving better blood pressure (BP) control for all Australians. To address these priority areas, working groups were established through an open Expressions of Interest.

 

The five new working groups, Co-Leads and members are below.

1. Developing up-to-date, simple BP management tools for healthcare providers.

This group focuses on crafting user-friendly, up-to-date BP management tools for healthcare providers.

Michael Stowasser (Co-Lead)

Charlotte Hespe (Co-Lead)

Justine Chan

Niamh Chapman

Sonali Gnanenthiran

Angela Makris

Mark Nelson

Tu Nguyen

Anthony Rodgers

Ania Samarawickrama

Markus Schlaich

Martin Schultz

Alta Schutte

Renuka Shanmugalingam

James Sharman

Nelson Wang

2. Increasing patient activation and engagement.

Engaging patients in their health is vital, working towards activating patients to improve their well-being.

Liz Halcomb (Co-Lead)

Niamh Chapman (Co-Lead)

Kim Beesley

Belinda Bennett

Justine Chan

Andrew Goodman

Natasha Jovanoska

Audrey Lee

Lisa Murphy

Edel O’Hagan

Gayleen Stephens

Ritu Trivedi

Mingjuan Zeng

3. Raising and maintaining awareness at all levels.

Increasing awareness about BP’s significance is essential. This group is dedicated to raising and maintaining awareness at all levels.

Lisa Murphy (Co-Lead)

Quynh Nhu Dinh (Co-Lead)

Wally Ahmar

Kim Beesley

Belinda Bennett

Revathy Carnagarin

Victoria Cheng

Rachel Climie

Mario Fernando

Liz Halcomb

Audrey Lee

Joanne O’Donnell

Ruth Peters

Dean Picone

Andrea Sanders

Alta Schutte

4. Establishing a systems and data-based approach to BP management. 

This group focuses on establishing processes to ensure integration of BP data across the health sector to support monitoring and informing clinical practice for optimal care.

James Sharman (Co-Lead)

Nelson Wang (Co-Lead)

Audrey Adji

Amirul Islam

Shariful Islam

Garry Jennings

Shiva Mishra

Ania Samarawickrama

Markus Schlaich

Xia Wang

Yutang Wang

Natalie Ward

Luna Xu

5. Improving detection (screening) of people with elevated BP to identify those at risk.

This group will be dedicated to identifying individuals at risk using a combination of community-based screening initiatives and opportunistic screening strategies.

Jun Yang (Co-Lead)

Martin Schultz  (Co-Lead)

Revathy Carnagarin

Sonali Gnanenthiran

Amirul Islam

Natasha Jovanoska

Angela Makris

Shiva Mishra

Om Narayan

Doan Ngo

Tu Nguyen

Dean Picone

Andrea Sanders

Gianni Sesa-Ashton

Isabella Tan

Ritu Trivedi

Policies

View our policies below:

Project Contact

Dr Catherine Shang | catherine.shang@ozheart.org

Professor Alta Schutte – Hypertension Taskforce Co-Lead | a.schutte@unsw.edu.au

Professor Markus Schlaich – Hypertension Taskforce Co-Lead | markus.schlaich@uwa.edu.au

Articles and Publications

National Hypertension Taskforce Launch Press Release
ACvA and Hypertension Australia
December 2022
View Article