Health and Society Blog Archive
Here you will find an archive of Health and Society Blog articles published before 1 May 2022, divided into their relevant categories.
Children and Families
In 2016 a man called Lance Hart shot his wife Claire and daughter Charlotte outside a swimming pool in Lincolnshire, England, before turning his shotgun on himself. Some of…
By Lesley-Ann Black & Dan Hull This article examines levels of childhood obesity and inactivity in our children in Northern Ireland and asks what more can be done to…
A significant number of European Union laws and policies have a direct role in protecting and promoting children’s rights. What has the EU achieved in the area of cross-border…
Community Relations
One area that has created considerable political division in Northern Ireland is how to deal with a contested past. Broadly, ‘dealing with the past’ tends to refer to issues…
Culture and Sport
This two-part blog post is a follow-up to a series of three articles about Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) and the Programme for Government (PfG) draft Outcomes Framework. Yesterday, part…
This two-part blog post is a follow-up to a series of three articles about Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) and the Programme for Government (PfG) draft Outcomes Framework published recently….
This blog post explores some of the themes in the Department for Communities draft strategy for sport and physical activity and compares plans for Northern Ireland (NI) with similar…
Equality
Population ageing has been identified as a major societal challenge common to most European countries, particularly in terms of health and social care provision. In view of this, the…
The Belfast Agreement in 1998 contained a comprehensive suite of human rights safeguards. These include the introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to be accessible in…
Health and Social Care
by Max Larkinson & James Bamford Earlier this year the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a report on Addiction Services in Northern Ireland (NI), highlighting a steady increase of…
Women’s gynaecological health refers to, menstruation, sexual health, fertility and menopause. Health inequalities experienced by women have long been apparent, often described by campaigners as the ‘gender-health gap’. Evidence…
The World Health Organisation recommends that every country should have a cancer strategy regardless of resource constraints. The proposed 10-year Cancer Strategy for Northern Ireland (NI) aims to improve…
Housing
Homelessness is a highly emotive issue and attention on the plight of those who are homeless in Northern Ireland has gained particular momentum over recent months with housing, homelessness…
Good quality, affordable housing plays a significant role in maintaining physical, mental and social wellbeing. Additionally, the housing market is an important driver of economic growth and regeneration. Therefore, it…
Immigration
This paper presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland, updating a previous article on this subject in 2016. It shows emerging trends in the population, and comparisons with…
The most recent Global Report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that over 71 million people were ‘of concern’ in 2017. This includes refugees, asylum…
Please note: we have posted a new version of this blog article using the most recent data, see here. This article presents a brief demographic profile of Northern Ireland,…
Third Sector
The Third Sector makes a substantial, but at times unrecognised, contribution to society in Northern Ireland. It is a key provider of health/social care; housing/housing support; education and training;…
Welfare
Foodbanks are an increasingly useful resource for many in Northern Ireland. They provide a valuable service to communities and are continually helping to feed those in need. An interactive…
The Welfare Reform Bill was undoubtedly one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to come before the Assembly in the last mandate. Where have we got to and…