To mark International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD) 2019, which takes place today, 20 May, the NIHR is launching its new Be Part of Research campaign . The campaign aims to encourage patients, carers and the public to get involved in research and will coincide with the launch of our new Be Part of Research website in May (formerly UK Clinical Trials Gateway), which gives everyone the chance to find out about clinical trials that are relevant to them. The NIHR is marking the campaign with events at NHS trusts and NIHR infrastructure across the country, on and around International Clinical Trials

During Dying Matters Awareness Week (13–19 May 2019) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone to take the opportunity to talk openly with those closest to them about their wishes about their future care, dying, death and bereavement. This year’s theme is ‘Are We Ready?’ Corrina Grimes, Palliative Care Lead at the PHA, is encouraging the public to talk to each other about dying, death and bereavement, because talking about dying won't make it happen! “Many of us have specific wishes about how and where we would like to die and what we would like to happen after our death. However, we

In its first ever funding round, the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP), an alliance of research funders of which the PHA is one, is investing £25 million into understanding and influencing the social, economic and environmental factors that affect our health. The funding has been earmarked for eight projects tackling the bigger picture factors behind the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) - illnesses that can’t be passed from person to person - such as heart disease, obesity, poor mental health, cancer and diabetes. NCDs make up the vast majority of illnesses in the UK

This Sun Awareness Week the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are encouraging people to adopt sun safe behaviours and to be UV (ultra violet) radiation aware. The Solar UV Index shows how much solar radiation is reaching us from the sun and how careful we need to be. UV levels vary with the seasons and time of day, but when the UV index is three or above we need to protect our skin and eyes, so it’s important to know what the UV index is going to be throughout the day. I n Northern Ireland we are exposed to UV rays between March and October, even on overcast days

Each year, millions of infections are prevented through ensuring good hand hygiene. So today, ahead of the World Health Organization’s Global Hand Hygiene Day (5 May), the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone of the need to ‘clean your hands’ thoroughly and regularly. The theme for Hand Hygiene Day is ‘Clean care for all – it’s in your hands’. Caroline McGeary, Senior Infection Prevention and Control Nurse at the PHA, said: “Hand hygiene is the most important method of preventing and controlling the spread of infections. It can help protect us and our families from unpleasant, and

This World Immunisation Week, Dr Jillian Johnston Consultant in Health Protection at the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone that vaccines work by protecting society against many lethal diseases, but warns that we cannot become complacent. “Many childhood diseases that were common in the UK prior to the introduction of vaccination have been dramatically reduced or have disappeared altogether. However, once a disease fades from prominence’, it is easy to forget how serious they could be. Unfortunately, unless vaccine uptake remains high in Northern Ireland, many of these deadly