The Public Health Agency (PHA) is using Self-Harm Awareness Day (1 March) as an opportunity to encourage those who are affected by self-harm to seek help. Self-harm occurs when a person harms themselves while in a state of severe emotional distress. It can take many different forms. Dr Denise O’Hagan, Public Health Consultant with the PHA, said: “Self-Harm Awareness Day is an opportunity to encourage people who self-harm and those close to them to seek help, and also to let people know that help is available.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has issued advice for people to look after themselves and others as temperatures drop due to cold winds from the east. Mary Carey, Emergency Planning Co-ordinator at the PHA, said: “We know a cold spell is coming, which gives us the opportunity to plan ahead to try to reduce its impact. “For some people the onset of the cold weather can bring particular hazards. Vulnerable and older people can find it difficult to get out to the shops or to keep their house adequately heated, putting them at risk.

Belfast Drug and Alcohol Coordination Team (DACT) and Extern have hosted a conference in order to learn more about how other countries are responding to injecting drug use and the harm-reduction methods they have introduced. This comes following a number of concerns about injecting drug use in the Belfast area, including deaths from opioid overdose; an increase in blood borne viruses and serious health problems in people who inject, and issues with inappropriately discarded drug paraphernalia.

With more than two in five households here in fuel poverty, this Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (Friday 23 February) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting energy efficiency tips and services that many people will find useful in tackling the issue. A household is in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on energy costs to adequately heat the home, and Northern Ireland has a higher percentage of fuel poverty households than any other devolved region in the UK. Tracey Colgan, Senior Health and Wellbeing Improvement Officer at the PHA, said:

It is just less than one month until No Smoking Day on Wednesday 14 March, with thousands of smokers across Northern Ireland today being urged to stub out their cigarettes and become ‘Proud Quitters’.

Lifeline is Northern Ireland’s crisis response helpline service for people who are experiencing distress or despair. The Public Health Agency (PHA) commissions the Lifeline service and the current contract is due to end on 31st March 2018. The PHA offered a contract extension to the current provider, Contact (Northern Ireland), to continue to deliver this service from 1st April 2018. However, late last year Contact (Northern Ireland) decided not to accept the offer of extension of the current contract.