With the bank holiday weekend looming, its’ time to dust down those barbecues. So whether the sun is shining or you brave the rain, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding fans of cooking al fresco about barbecue food safety. When relaxing with friends and family around the barbecue it is easy to forget about food safety, but just because it is outside the kitchen does not mean that good hand hygiene and food safety advice do not apply.

A training workshop with the aim of building research partnerships was hosted recently by the Public Health Agency’s HSC R&D Division and the Northern Ireland Cancer Trials Centre in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support. The purpose of the training, which has been developed by Macmillan Cancer Support, is to bring together researchers, health professionals, service users, carers and members of the public to help improve partnership working in the area of Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) in research.

With Mental Health Awareness Week drawing to a close, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has highlighted the risks that alcohol and drugs can pose to people’s mental health and wellbeing. Owen O’Neill, the PHA’s Drug and Alcohol Lead, said: “Binge drinking and drug use, particularly in combination, can have a serious impact on your mental wellbeing as there is a strong link between drinking, drug use and depression; and hangovers and ‘coming down’ can leave you feeling anxious and low.

The Public Health agency (PHA) and the Council for the Homeless NI (CHNI) are working together to provide ‘pocket packs’ to vulnerable homeless people in Belfast. Rough sleepers are at increased risk of problems including substance misuse and exposure to cold weather which can result in problems with foot health, chest infections and hypothermia. The PHA and CHNI are working in partnership with Extern’s SUITCASE members, who have themselves, experience of substance misuse and homelessness, to assist rough sleepers in the Belfast area by providing pocket packs.

Palliative and end of life care is everybody’s business, and to mark ‘Dying Matters Awareness Week’ (13 - 19 May 2013) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone to take the opportunity to talk openly about dying, death and bereavement with those closest to them. The theme for this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week is ‘Be ready for it’, a focused call to action aimed at encouraging members of the public to take five simple steps to make their end of life experience better, both for them and for their loved ones. The five steps are:

Using Twitter's new video app Vine, the PHA has produced a series of videos lasting just six seconds each to show you how to use the fitness equipment available in outdoor gyms across Belfast. Funded by Belfast City Council and the Public Health Agency under the Active Belfast Programme, the gyms are located at the heart of our communities to provide a fun way for people to get fit.

Research shows that men are approximately six times more likely to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) than women and the chance of having an aneurysm increases with age – at the age of 65, about one in every 40 men will have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. With this in mind, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is hosting an AAA screening stand at this year’s Balmoral Show to increase awareness of the screening programme and to encourage uptake by people who are eligible.