With young people set to receive their exam results, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging parents and guardians to talk to them now about risks of drinking alcohol and taking drugs. Thousands of teenagers will receive their A-level and GCSE results over the next week and following these occasions we can often see excessive drinking or drug taking, so it is important that everyone is aware of the risks, even those who have drunk alcohol or taken drugs previously. Kevin Bailey, Regional Lead for Drugs and Alcohol at the PHA, said: “Parents and guardians can make the first move and talk

We are all appalled at the race-related violence and attacks that have taken place over recent days in Northern Ireland. This has no place in our society, and as an organisation which works very closely with a diverse range of groups and individuals across our communities, we are acutely aware of the fear and worry that this will cause for many people. Our work as the lead body for public health in Northern Ireland supports newcomer communities, groups working with people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, and people who are seeking asylum, and we understand the impact that the violence and

Ahead of Cycle to Work Day on Thursday 1 August, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone to leave the car at home and hop on their bike to work. By switching up your daily commute and choosing to cycle you can reap many benefits for your physical and mental health, and it is also better for the environment. Gerard Walls, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Officer at the PHA, said: “Cycling to work is a great way to get moving and incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine. It’s also a fun and easy method of transport, allowing you to switch off and enjoy a

Ahead of World Breastfeeding Week which starts on Thursday 1 August, Bronagh Smyth from Belfast has opened up about her breastfeeding journey with her baby Joni to help encourage other mothers to reach out for support if they need it. Bronagh said: “In that first week of breastfeeding, Joni just latched straight on and it felt like everything was very easy and I was thinking it was all plain sailing. “But after that first week, Joni’s weight wasn’t going on that well. She was gaining weight but just very slowly and at the same time I was getting quite a bit of pain. Those were a few very

A new campaign focussing on the importance and benefits of physical activity to help live longer and stronger, has been launched in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland. The ‘Live longer and stronger’ campaign aims to raise awareness of age-related deconditioning and the importance of physical activity and will run in community pharmacies throughout August and September as part of the Living Well service. Living Well is offered in over 500 pharmacies across Northern Ireland and provides information and advice on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public

The Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS) on behalf of the Public Health Agency (PHA) wish to carry out a market engagement with providers interested in delivering a Community Based Early Intervention Services for Adults and Family Members / Carers / People affected by Substance Use. This pre-tender market engagement will take the form of a Briefing Paper and Questionnaire for providers to respond to. The purpose of this engagement is to receive feedback from providers on the proposed new procurement arrangements and key elements of the service. It is also to make potential providers aware

This Belfast Pride Festival, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting the mental health and emotional wellbeing support available for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. With the theme of this year’s Belfast Pride Festival being ‘Love Your Mind’ there has never been a more important time to reach out if you need mental health support and the PHA is reminding everyone that the Lifeline service supports people of every age, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexuality and gender identity. Lifeline is Northern Ireland’s crisis response helpline for people experiencing distress or despair and

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging people who are eligible to avail of the HPV and mpox vaccinations at the Belfast Pride Festival on Saturday 27 July. A team of healthcare professionals from the PHA and vaccinators from the South Eastern Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust will be located at Pride village in Custom House Square during the festival. What is mpox? It is caused by the mpox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe. Initial symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles. Once the fever breaks a Dr

The Health Minister Mike Nesbitt visited Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and met with Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme participants. Watch a video from the visit https://vimeo.com/981981659/6f2b89217a?share=copy About the programme: The programme provides support from early pregnancy until the child is two years old, parents are offered intensive and structured home visiting, delivered by specially trained ‘family nurses’. In doing so the programme hopes to bring about huge benefits such as readiness for school, improved educational achievement and a reduction in anti