Archive February 2008
NEWS ARCHIVE - 2004

Click on the year for news from 2004 2005 2006

Public Health Matters

Flu vaccination

Investing for Health conference 2004

Eastern Board Cancer Services Workshop

Public Health Matters

Ever needed to obtain public health information on your area?
Ever had to search endlessly to locate this information from a number of sources?
Ever located the information you need only to find it’s out of date?
It’s time to put away those dusty reports and go online.

Many people working within the statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors require up to date information on public health in their area, whether it be to commission services or produce reports. Annual Public Health Reports were designed to inform each health authority about the health of the population for which they are responsible and to be an integral component of the health planning and contracting cycle. The Department of Public Health Medicine at the Eastern Health and Social Services Board has moved a step beyond this concept to provide an online resource of health information, data and statistics. It aims to act as a reference point for key stakeholders on public health in the Eastern Board area. The website can be found at www.publichealthmatters.org

Throughout publichealthmatters.org you will find health information on a range of topics, with a link to data and statistics for each relevant section.
The creation of publichealthmatters.org is an important step as it provides us with an additional means of communicating with Trusts, partner organisations and other stakeholders both in the Eastern Board area and beyond.

Publichealthmatters.org will develop as needs change and new statistics and information becomes available. Start clicking to get the information you need.

Flu vaccination

Last winter’s flu vaccination programme in the Eastern Board was very successful with an uptake rate of 73% in those aged over 65 years. The flu vaccination programme in the Eastern Board area is co-ordinated by the Board and delivered in general practices and with the support of Community Trusts.

Flu can be very serious particularly for those with underlying diseases and the elderly. Flu vaccine is an effective measure to reduce the risk of catching flu and importantly the risk of serious complications following flu. As the protection from flu vaccination does not last long, and because of the changes to the viruses, flu vaccination needs to be given every year. Certain groups of people, who are most at risk of serious consequences of flu infection, are recommended to have the annual flu vaccination. People with the following risk conditions are recommended to have the flu jab every year:

Chronic respiratory disease including asthma
Chronic heart disease
Chronic renal disease
Diabetes
Immunosuppression

 

Investing for Health Conference, 21 October 2004

The Investing for Health Partnership in the Eastern Area autumn conference “Looking Back, Looking Forward” provided an opportunity to build on the many relationships and partnerships operating in the field of health and well being in their widest sense. The conference focused on the role of information as a stimulus to drive the Investing for Health process and included presentations on the Health and Wellbeing Community Profiles in NHS Scotland, the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. Public Health Matters, the Eastern Health and Social Services Board public health website was also showcased at the conference. In addition, the conference provided an arena for delegates from across the Eastern Board area to explore the current use of indicators across the goals and objectives of Investing for Health.

Further information on the Investing for Health Partnership in the Eastern Area can be found at www.wellnet-ni.com
Further information on the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service can be found at www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk

Eastern Board Cancer Services Workshop

“Eastern Board Cancer Services”
is being held in the
Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn
on
Friday 22 October 2004

An Eastern Board Cancer Services Workshop is being held on Friday 22 October 2004 at Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn. The main aims are to explore the roles, responsibilities and relationships between the Board, DHSSPS, Northern Ireland Cancer Network (NICaN), the Cancer Services Framework and other strategic groups in planning, commissioning and implementation of service provision. Through this, the workshop aims to agree a framework/process to establish a comprehensive plan for the future of cancer prevention, service provision and care.

 

Eastern Health and Social Services Board Champion House,
12-22 Linenhall Street, Belfast BT2 8BS
Telephone: (028) 9032 1313 Fax: (028) 9055 3681
Text Phone:(028) 9032 4980
Website: www.ehssb.org E-mail: pr@ehssb.n-i.nhs.uk
Site designed by areema.co.uk

 

“Stay Cool in School”, a pilot programme in primary, post primary and special schools across the area initiated by EHSSB Oral Health Promotion Facilitators, promotes desk top access to drinking water throughout the school day.
Click here to read more

Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of:
- Miscarriage by 25%
- Baby being born dead by 40%
- Death of the newborn by 40%
- Low birth weight by 300%
- Premature birth by 200%
- Foetal malformations (cleft lip, palate) by 30%
- Placenta praevia by 300%

Click here to read more

In Northern Ireland 3% of the population are known to have diabetes, a figure which is expected to double in the next 8 years. Up to a further 25,000 people may have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.
Click here to read more