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… Read More »Childhood obesity and inactivity – a lifelong problem?
This article was written by second year Ulster University Student Michael McVeigh (Health and Social Care Policy), based on a research report completed while on a six-week work placement in the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service. It gives an overview of how people with learning disabilities are being cared for in Northern Ireland and asks the question: how have health and social care needs and policy development improved since the Bamford review published its Equal Lives Report in 2005?
Read More »Learning disability in Northern Ireland: Where are we now?
Evidence shows that many of us are consuming too much of a certain type of sugar known as ‘free sugar’. This article asks what the implications of this might be for our health, how much free sugar we should actually be consuming, and what government organisations in Northern Ireland are doing to address the issue.
This is the third in a series of articles on mental health and illness in Northern Ireland. Following posts on the overall strategies for mental health and care pathways, this article focuses on barriers to accessing mental health services and highlights the role of the voluntary sector in delivering such services. A more detailed RaISe briefing on many of the issues is available.
This is the second in a series of articles regarding mental health and illness in Northern Ireland. Recently, we provided an overview of mental health strategy in Northern Ireland; here, we focus on service delivery for adults, for children and adolescents, and the importance of the ‘recovery’ focus of the model of care. A more detailed RaISe briefing on many of the issues is available.
This article looks at the issues faced by Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in Northern Ireland in supporting patients in primary and community care. It sets out the groups that make-up AHPs and examines how the role of AHPs could evolve in a changing healthcare landscape.
This article is the first in a series looking at mental health and illness in Northern Ireland, covering relevant reviews, policies, reports, services, treatments and access to these services. This blog post sets the scene and highlights key policies, strategies and action plans to date. A more detailed RaISe briefing on many of the issues is available.
The growing pressure on primary healthcare services is reported in the media on an almost daily basis – a key reason being that people are living longer, often with chronic and complex healthcare needs. This article looks at how an enhanced role for community pharmacists in health promotion and medicine management is intended to help deliver the vision for healthcare delivery in Northern Ireland over the next ten years.
Read More »Northern Ireland’s health crisis: can pharmacists relieve the pressure on GPs?
Breastfeeding in public is often a topic for debate. Although a very personal decision for parents, breastfeeding in public spaces is viewed as a social issue with divided opinions. This article looks at the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies versus the influence social attitudes can have, and asks if attitudes towards breastfeeding in public places in Northern Ireland are changing.
The Assembly Research and Information Service (RaISe) recently published a paper which provided an update on developments following the EU referendum on 23rd June. In this post, another in our series of articles examining some of the specific implications that a withdrawal from the EU may have for Northern Ireland, we examine what the implications might be for health and social care. This post follows a more detailed RaISe briefing paper on potential health and social care issues following Brexit.
