Have your say on improving and protecting health and wellbeing

Members of the public are being encouraged to have their say on the direction of public health over coming years as the Public Health Agency’s (PHA) draft Corporate Plan – ‘Preventing, Protecting, Improving; Better health outcomes for everyone’ – goes out for public consultation, running from 28 November 2024 – 28 February 2025.

This draft plan sets out the strategic direction for the agency for the next five years and has been developed through engagement with staff, the agency’s board, and colleagues in the Department of Health.

Aidan Dawson, Chief Executive of the PHA, said: “Consultation is an important part of the development of our draft corporate plan and we really want to hear your views on it. We recognise that our work cannot be done in isolation, but requires a whole system, cross-government approach and robust engagement with the public.

“Since the roll-out of our previous corporate plan in 2017, the PHA has continued to take forward work to improve and protect health and wellbeing, reduce health inequalities, improve the quality and safety of care services, and support research and development.

“Much has been achieved, but much is yet to be done to deliver better health for everyone in Northern Ireland.

“Our society has faced many difficult challenges in recent years, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, and the cost of living crisis. This has shaped many of our priorities and work areas over recent years and the lessons learned continue to influence our work, such as with pandemic preparedness and a re-energised focus on stubborn and systemic inequalities in health that we continue to experience as a society. These unfair and avoidable differences in health impact our ability to lead healthy lives, and too many people in Northern Ireland still die prematurely or live with preventable conditions. We must do all that we can to prevent this from being the case. Our commitment to work to reduce health inequalities is at the core of this plan and what we will do over the next five years.

“Above all, this plan represents our unwavering commitment to improving health and wellbeing for everyone in Northern Ireland. The work we do impacts on all of the population so we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Please take the time to read our draft plan, understand our priorities and let us know your views. Do you support our vision? Is there anything you would like to add or something we have missed?”

The development process has also been influenced by the vision set out by the Minister of Health in ‘Health and Wellbeing 2026: Delivering Together’, Department of Health (DoH) priorities, especially the ‘Making Life Better Public Health Framework’ and the ‘Draft Programme for Government Framework 2024-2027’ within the context of financial constraints and HSC reform and restructuring.

This draft, high-level document sets out the purpose, direction and priorities for the PHA over the next five years. The outcomes in the draft plan will be supported by an implementation plan as well as annual business plans, enabling the PHA to incorporate new priorities and challenges that may arise over this period.

To view the plan and submit your responses visit www.pha.site/PlanConsultation