New blood pressure guidelines, which potentially could save the NHS £10.5 million a year, have been issued by health watchdog, NICE.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) believes that many thousands of patients in England and Wales may have been misdiagnosed with problems associated with high blood pressure, all because they are nervous at seeing the doctor - a condition called "white coat hypertension," BBC News reports.

Consequently, some people will have been prescribed drugs, based on a false blood pressure reading, which not only costs the NHS but also means that in some cases, blood pressure is being lowered unnecessarily, even dangerously.

To combat this issue, NICE is advising GPs, nurses and those with senior practitioner jobs to move towards "ambulatory monitoring of patients at home," using technology that automatically takes a blood pressure reading every 30 minutes over a 24 hour period. This will lead to a far more accurate diagnosis.

According to The Guardian, 12 million people in the UK suffer with high blood pressure and the cost of drugs to the NHS is £1 billion. It is estimated that around 25 per cent of patients suffer from white coat hypertension and that 10 per cent of the NHS could implement ambulatory testing "tomorrow."

Commenting on the advice, health minister Anne Milton said: "These guidelines show that the use of innovations such as ambulatory monitors can provide more accurate blood pressure readings for patients as they go about their daily lives.

"This is not only better for patients, but also a better use of NHS resources."