SCA practice case · Video consultation
“New diagnosis of hypertension”
Video consultation
Adult patient
Typical
Long-term conditions & cancerEthnicity, culture & diversity
The candidate brief
This is what you would read in the 3-minute window before the patient connects. Read it once, note two or three hypotheses and one thing you must not miss, then stop.
Patient
Marcus Whitfield · 32 years · male
Setting
Video consultation after a raised BP at a well-man check (162/96, repeat 158/94).
Past history
- Nil significant
- Non-smoker
Medication
- No regular medication
Allergies
NKDA
Recent notes
⚠ NHS health check with practice nurse last week: clinic BP 162/96. Recalled — repeat this morning 158/94. No bloods or QRISK on file. Family history (per nurse note): father — stroke age 51.
Reason for contact
Booked to discuss raised blood pressure readings. "The nurse asked me to come."
Practise this case
The full case is in the Hot Seat with the Gold plan. You get a 12-minute timer, a role-player script with facts released only when asked, examiner checkpoints by the three RCGP domains, a model consultation and the guidance behind it.
What this case tests
Show the learning points (spoiler: read after you have practised)
In men <55 of African or African-Caribbean heritage with hypertension and no diabetes, NICE first-line is CCB (not ACEi). The "open question first, then ICE, then plan" structure is more important than the drug name in this station — the family history of stroke is the dominant cue and must be answered before anything clinical.
The guidance behind it
Similar SCA cases
gpreasoning.uk is not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCGP. Our cases are original teaching material written for practice; none is an exam recall. For anything official about the SCA, check the RCGP SCA pages.