By Lesley-Ann Black and Keara McKay This article is an updated version of a piece which was published on Research Matters in February 2019. It… Read More »Suicide statistics and strategy in Northern Ireland: Update
Period poverty is a topical issue, globally and within the United Kingdom (UK). Recently, there has been some concern about the relationship between period poverty… Read More »Free periods? Period poverty, its impact on education, and policy responses to the issue
In this Mental Health Awareness Week, which also coincides with this year’s Balmoral Show, this article examines an issue which has received comparatively little attention… Read More »Farmers and mental health
This article provides a broad introduction to the complex landscape of formal regulation of health care in Northern Ireland (NI). It also includes reference to… Read More »Who regulates health and social care services in Northern Ireland?
This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017.
The perceived underfunding of social care was a significant political issue in the 2017 general election. It is easy to forget, however, that the ‘formal’ care sector of nursing and residential homes, plus allied services, is underpinned by a much larger ‘informal’ sector of family and friends of the person being cared for. In a related article, we examined the legislation and policy framework behind this sector. Here, we review the facts and figures relating to informal carers in Northern Ireland. A detailed paper on this topic was recently published by the Research and Information Service (RaISe).
This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017.
This article outlines the contribution made by carers to supporting the formal care system and the issues they face in undertaking the caring role for family members and friends. Legislative developments across the UK are discussed as well as issues relevant to carers and how these are being addressed in Northern Ireland (NI) and beyond. A fuller briefing paper on these issues was published by RaISe in March 2016. In a related article, we examine some of the key statistics relating to the informal care sector in Northern Ireland.
Read More »Supporting carers in Northern Ireland: Where are we with legislation and policy?
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.
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