A new organ donation campaign, which is being supported by the Northern Ireland Executive, has been launched to encourage families throughout Northern Ireland to sit down with their loved ones on December 11 and discuss their wishes on organ donation.

The eHealth and Care strategy was launched on the 8 October 2014 for public consultation, and continues until the 9 January 2015. The strategy sets out how Health and Social Care (HSC) will use eHealth technology to support people, share information, use information, support change, innovate and maintain the current eHealth systems across Northern Ireland. This was developed by listening to HSC staff, the public, community and voluntary sector, the technology industry and universities and colleges.

Ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has published the ‘HIV surveillance in Northern Ireland 2014’ report.

The Public Health Agency’s (PHA) new mental health campaign is urging people who are feeling low to talk to someone they trust. Almost one in five people in Northern Ireland at any one time show signs of a possible mental health problem and the new campaign emphasises that people experiencing anxiety, depression or despair can and do recover. The campaign emphasises the importance of talking as the first step in the recovery journey and that recovery is possible from seeking help. The campaign emphasises a number of key messages:

The Health and Social Care Research and Development (HSC R&D) Division at the Public Health Agency (PHA) are funding a project (£90K over 12 months) to improve pregnancy planning for women with diabetes. This project is part of the HSC R&D Division’s work to improve health and social care by enabling the flow of knowledge from research to practice.

The 2012/13 Northern Ireland Health Survey shows that 28% of adults do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. While the Chief Medical Officer recommends that we should be aiming for 150 minutes per week, only around half (53%) of adults in Northern Ireland meet this target.

Public Appointments NI - Public Health Agency Northern Ireland The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is seeking to appoint a non-executive Chair and two non-executive Members (x1 Financial Member and x1 Lay Member) to the Public Health Agency (PHA).