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Take part in local Age-Friendly activities during Positive Ageing Month

This Positive Ageing Month (October) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone to recognise and celebrate the valuable role older people play in our society.

To help address issues of health inequalities, encourage positive ageing and promote inter-generational connections, Age-Friendly Coordinators are funded by the PHA in all 11 Northern Ireland council areas.

Image of salmon, cheese, vitamin D supplements with added text 'The importance of Vitamin D'

The importance of vitamin D this autumn and winter

The Public Health Agency (PHA) recommends that everyone should consider taking a vitamin D supplement this autumn and winter to help keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that everyone needs to stay healthy, and we get it from three main sources – food, sunlight and supplements.

Our bodies get some vitamin D from a healthy balanced diet that includes foods like oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, trout, kippers and sardines), eggs, meat and dairy products, along with foods that have been fortified with vitamin D such as breakfast cereal.

Don’t let your protection fade this winter

Winter is coming and so are the respiratory illnesses that circulate during this time of the year so the message from the Public Health Agency (PHA) is don’t let your protection fade and get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines if eligible.

The life-saving vaccination programme, which will help protect the community against deadly viruses ahead of winter, commences on Monday 7 October. It will see flu and COVID-19 vaccines offered to over a million people in Northern Ireland before the end of the year, starting with those in care homes, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Living Well ‘Looking after your sexual health’ campaign launched

A new Living Well campaign – ‘Looking after your sexual health’ – has been launched in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland, helping to raise awareness of the importance of practising good sexual health.

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 Health Agency (PHA), Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), and the Department of Health (DoH).

Celebrating Swallow Aware campaign partnership

The Public Health Agency (PHA), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and Hospitality Ulster welcomed Nick Hewer, President of RCSLT, to Brain Injury Matters to celebrate with all those who contributed to the resources designed for the recent Swallow Aware campaign.

Latest news

Northern Ireland standards for education providers who deliver nurse and midwife cervical screening sample taking programmes
Tuesday, 15 October 2024 - Publication
These standards have been developed for education providers in Northern Ireland who deliver nurse and midwife cervical screening sample...
BCG and your baby Protecting babies against TB
Tuesday, 15 October 2024 - Publication
This booklet provides advice on the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccination which offers protection against tuberculosis (TB)

What we do

The Public Health Agency (PHA) established in April 2009 as part of the reforms to Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland is responsible for providing health protection and health and social wellbeing improvement to every member of every community in Northern Ireland.

We are committed to safeguarding public health, promoting public health and social welfare, and reducing inequalities in health and social wellbeing. Read more about what we do.

The PHA operates under a framework of three functional areas Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, and Operations.