The latest Living Well initiative showcases how community pharmacies across Northern Ireland are on hand to offer advice and support on a wide range of winter illnesses that can help you ‘during the colder months. ‘Stay Well this Winter’ is running in over 500 pharmacies across Northern Ireland as part of the Living Well service and provides information and advice on how you can protect your health over the winter months and the support available to you through your community pharmacy. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), and the

Call comes as over 4,000 were hospitalised with flu last year This year’s winter vaccination campaign commences on Monday 6 October and the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone that respiratory illnesses such as flu, COVID-19 and RSV can be serious, even for some healthy people. Last year 862 children and young people, and 3,158 people aged 18 and over, were hospitalised with influenza in Northern Ireland. Of those 2,922 were as an emergency hospital admission. Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA, is urging everyone in the eligible groups to get ready for winter

Newly revised Nutritional Standards have been announced today, applying to all facilities that serve food or beverages within Health and Social Care (HSC) settings in Northern Ireland. The aim is to create a healthier eating environment for staff and visitors, while setting an example for the wider public sector. The Standards were first introduced in 2017 and last updated in 2022. They have been jointly developed by the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Safefood and Health and Social Care (HSC) to ensure healthier food is consistently available across hospital and

On Thursday 25 September, Translink hosted a Public Health Agency (PHA) event to mark Organ Donation Week 2025 – ‘The Grand Organ Donation Life Cycle’ event saw staff, commuters, and a wide range of participants from within the organ donation and transplantation ‘family’ take part in a virtual cycle to Dublin. Taking part in the impressive and bustling transport hub of Grand Central Station, the event raised vital awareness of the importance of organ donation and transplantation in saving and transforming lives. It was also an opportunity for those impacted by donation or transplantation to

Ahead of World Contraception Day (26 September), the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone of the importance of contraception. With many free contraception options available across Northern Ireland, the PHA is encouraging people to visit its sexual health website at www.sexualhealthni.info to find out more about what might work for you and where you can access it. Frances Dowds, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager at the PHA, said: “We want to support women to recognise that when it comes to contraception, it’s your body and your choice. The beliefs we hold on

As figures show that more than 12,000 people in the UK lost their lives waiting for a transplant in the past decade, the Public Health Agency is calling for everyone to register their organ donation decision and share it with loved ones. The figures released by NHS Blood and Transplant to mark Organ Donation Week show that in the last ten years, 4,900 people died while actively waiting for a lifesaving transplant, with 44 in Northern Ireland. Additionally, a further 7,700 were removed from the active list after being deemed too sick to receive a transplant, with many dying soon after. This

Ahead of Organ Donation Week which runs from 22-28 September, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging all Key Stage 3 and 4 teachers to download new free resources and deliver them during this important awareness week. The resources have been designed by teachers, for teachers through a PHA-chaired working group, also in association with NHS Blood and Transplant. The content provides an introduction to organ donation and transplantation, how donation works, discussion activities, and information on the recent change in law to an opt-out system. This is provided in an age-appropriate