Parents don’t forget about the new primary six flu vaccine

Now that autumn is underway, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding parents of primary six children who are in the first phase of the childhood flu programme to avail of the flu vaccine. This year the vaccine will be offered to school year primary six as well as children aged two and three years. The vaccine will help protect children against flu and reduce its spread. School nurses will be administering the flu vaccine to primary six children at schools across Northern Ireland from the beginning of October 2013.

10,000 more voices: share your story, shape our service

Patient and client experience is recognised as a key element in the delivery of quality healthcare. In line with this, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is carrying out an extensive piece of work across all Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs), with the aim of introducing a more patient-focused approach to services and shaping future healthcare in Northern Ireland.

Diabetes services proving to be a great success in Northern Ireland

A conference in Armagh today highlighted two new diabetes services introduced over the past 3 years, with funding provided by the European Union’s INTERRERG IVA programme, which are proving to be a great success. The first service, called the CHOICE programme is for children and young people who have diabetes. The second service is specifically for women planning pregnancy who attend Pre-pregnancy Care clinics in their local areas.

Know the signs of meningitis – it could save a life

As students return to colleges and universities the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding students during Meningitis Awareness Week (16-22 September) to be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis as it could save a life. Teenagers and young adults (14 - 24 years old) are more at risk than older adults, especially when away from home with no parents around to look after them.

Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Team (West) 2012 / 2013 Annual Report

In 2012/13 the Western Health Improvement Team invested over £4 million in a range of initiatives to address health and social wellbeing improvement and target inequalities.

The range of initiatives access over 170 projects, which includes a mix of regular commissioning work and innovative development work testing new ideas. Over 250,000 individuals and groups were direct beneficiaries of the programmes; however, previous evaluations have demonstrated that the cascade effect of these initiatives was at least threefold.

Cancer Research UK’s Talk Cancer, cancer awareness training workshops

Talk Cancer is ideal for anyone who has a remit for promoting the health and well-being of people in their community including; public health teams, nurses, pharmacy staff, volunteers and many more. The workshops equip and empower community-based workers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to have conversations about cancer with people in their local area. Please visit cruk.org/talkcancer for more information.

Major new smoking campaign focuses on family impact

The damaging impact smoking has on families is being highlighted in Northern Ireland’s new campaign to tackle smoking prevalence, which was launched today by the Public Health Agency (PHA). Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness, premature death and health inequality throughout Northern Ireland and 2,300 people die prematurely each year from smoking-related illnesses such as coronary heart disease, stroke and many cancers.

Back to school: New shoes, new friends, new germs!

Summer is over for another year and as children settle back into school, parents across Northern Ireland will be breathing an exhausted sigh of relief. But they may be back at home before you know it, suffering from one of the many common illnesses that can be picked up in the school setting. The Public Health Agency (PHA) is therefore reminding parents about the importance of good hygiene for their children – both in school and at home.
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