ROSE Hill mum-of-four Regina Asante found out she was suffering from high blood pressure after visiting a new health bus on the estate.

She was one of 20 residents given a 15-minute appointment to see an NHS nurse when the bus visited The Oval.

There is no GP surgery on the estate and the bus visits once a month.

Patients undergo a 15-minute “health MOT” in a private consultation, where the nurse carries out blood pressure and diabetes tests while giving advice.

Ms Asante, 35, of Danvers Road, Rose Hill, said: “I chatted to the nurse and she took my blood pressure and discovered it was high, so now I’m going to go and see my GP to get some tablets.

“I think it’s very useful having the bus visit the estate – I wouldn’t have known there was a problem otherwise.”

Normalisa Chasokela, 33, lives with her five-year-old daughter Ellysa in Asquith Road and works part-time at the children’s centre.

She said: “It was so busy that I didn’t get a slot to see the nurse – there were three pregnant women waiting to be seen.

“There’s obviously a big demand for this so I think the bus should come more often.”

Community workers also spoke to 60 people on the estate on Friday to get their views on the provision of health care, including Margaret Smith, 76, who said: “I think this is very useful. My doctor is on the Cowley Road and it is difficult to get to him, especially when you are not feeling well.”

The initiative is funded by Oxford Citizens Housing Association, which successfully bid to the Big Lottery Fund last year for £361,000 to pay for projects on the estate over the next five years.

Rose Hill community worker Fran Gardner said about £5,000 a year of lottery funding was earmarked for health care. She said: “There is obviously an enormous need for the health bus and I would love to see it coming here on a fortnightly basis.”

Dr Peter von Eichstorff, of the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, welcomed The Health Bus scheme as the Rose Hill community had greater health needs than some parts of Oxford.

The next health bus visit to The Oval will be on Thursday, March 29, at 10am.