Sands, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, is introducing a National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) across Northern Ireland, to help improve care for people who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss. The introduction of NBCP in Northern Ireland has been made possible by funding from the Public Health Agency (PHA) and aims to reduce inequalities and improve the quality of bereavement care provided to parents and families.
This Positive Ageing Month (October) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone to recognise and celebrate the valuable role older people play in our society.
To help address issues of health inequalities, encourage positive ageing and promote inter-generational connections, Age-Friendly Coordinators are funded by the PHA in all 11 Northern Ireland council areas.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) recommends that everyone should consider taking a vitamin D supplement this autumn and winter to help keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that everyone needs to stay healthy, and we get it from three main sources – food, sunlight and supplements.
Our bodies get some vitamin D from a healthy balanced diet that includes foods like oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, trout, kippers and sardines), eggs, meat and dairy products, along with foods that have been fortified with vitamin D such as breakfast cereal.
Winter is coming and so are the respiratory illnesses that circulate during this time of the year so the message from the Public Health Agency (PHA) is don’t let your protection fade and get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines if eligible.
The life-saving vaccination programme, which will help protect the community against deadly viruses ahead of winter, commences on Monday 7 October. It will see flu and COVID-19 vaccines offered to over a million people in Northern Ireland before the end of the year, starting with those in care homes, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
A new Living Well campaign – ‘Looking after your sexual health’ – has been launched in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland, helping to raise awareness of the importance of practising good sexual health.
Living Well is offered in over 500 pharmacies across Northern Ireland and provides information and advice on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), and the Department of Health (DoH).