Each year the HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency, along with Health and Social Care (HSC) partners, celebrates the ‘I Am Research’ campaign to mark International Clinical Trials Day. This year the national campaign on 25 May is running in collaboration with additional celebrations around the NHS’s 70th birthday.

‘I Am Research’ aims to build awareness of health and care research and its benefits and celebrate how it has shaped, and is continuing to shape, the NHS/HSC and outcomes for patients. Patients, the public and health and social care research professionals will have a chance to shout about how fantastic research is and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. 

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has hosted an event to promote good emotional health and wellbeing amongst the residents in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council areas.

The community planning event held in the Valley Leisure Centre recently encouraged residents to build the Take 5 steps to wellbeing into their everyday lives.  

The Take 5 Steps to wellbeing are: Connect, Be Active, Take notice, Keep learning and Give. Take 5 steps to wellbeing was developed by Belfast Strategic Partnership’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing Group and is based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing, developed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF).

With exam season in full swing, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone currently doing A-Levels to think next about getting the meningococcal ACWY vaccine ahead of starting university in September.

During Sun Awareness Week (14 to 20 May 2018) the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are reminding people to be ultraviolet (UV) radiation aware and take appropriate care in the sun according to the UV level. To help with this they are launching a new online UV radiation awareness animation.

Living in the countryside brings many benefits but the particular challenges faced by rural communities can often have an impact on their emotional health and wellbeing, whether it’s as the result of rural isolation or the stresses of farming life. In order to raise awareness of the support that is available, the Lifeline service will have a presence at this year’s Balmoral Show.