Each year in Northern Ireland more than 70 people die in home accidents and almost 70,000 visit their local accident and emergency departments seeking help as a result of accidents in the home. While most people’s spring cleaning to-do lists have more to do with mops and brooms than safety precautions, the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) are urging people to take steps to improve home safety when carrying out the spring clean.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is marking European Immunisation Week (24–30 April 2016) by celebrating the excellent childhood immunisation uptake levels being achieved in Northern Ireland, but also reminding parents of the importance of immunisation. Many childhood diseases which were common in Northern Ireland prior to the introduction of vaccination have been dramatically reduced or have disappeared altogether, such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus, measles and several types of meningitis.

A concert aimed at instilling hope and promoting good mental health will be held in an area of north Belfast that has been impacted by suicide. The ‘Concert of Hope’, featuring Gardiner Street Gospel Choir and singer/songwriter Brian Kennedy, will be held at the Sacred Heart Church in north Belfast. It is hoped that the free event will act as a catalyst and lead to the development of a community choir in the Oldpark area.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has confirmed today that contracts between the agency and FASA to provide a range of services have now transferred to Extern. The contracts cover: Mental health and suicide prevention services: • Family Support and Suicide Prevention Response Services (Belfast area)

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and Public Health Agency (PHA) want to hear about your experiences to help shape how care is delivered in Northern Ireland. 10,000 Voices is a PHA initiative which gives people an opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences of accessing Health and Social Care services by asking for members of the public to ‘tell us their story’. Mary Hinds, Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the PHA, said: