{jcomments off}Every year, the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) convenes an all-island Planning Group for Men’s Health Week in Ireland.  Organisations are invited to attend a number of meetings (some face-to-face and some via video-conference between Dublin and Belfast) to discuss the week and help to shape it.  The first meeting of this body will take place on Wednesday 29th January 2014, from 10.30am - 1.30pm, in the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Dundalk, Co. Louth.  If you would be interested in contributing to this meeting, please contact Colin Fowler by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

{jcomments off}In mid-November 2013, New South Wales in Australia launched an online resource designed to support people who want to talk about suicide and to break down the barriers that prevent people from reaching out to one another.  Conversations Matter is a practical online resource to support safe and effective community discussions about this issue.  Visit the website at: www.conversationsmatter.com.au

{jcomments off}The presence of pronounced inequalities in mortality and life expectancy across income, education and social groups is now well established.  Research across a large number of developed and wealthy countries, including Ireland, has shown that those with fewer resources, less education, or a lower occupational class have higher Standardised Mortality Rates (SMRs) than more advantaged individuals.  This study found that the differential in SMRs between professional and unskilled men, aged 15+, decreased between 1984 and the early 1990s, but then increased significantly thereafter - as the SMR for professional men continued to decrease, whilst that of unskilled men stabilised and then began to increase.  See the online report at: www.esri.ie/publications/latest_working_papers/view/index.xml?id=3845

{jcomments off}My Health Apps (www.myhealthapps.net) is a new website from Patient View which brings together a range of health related online apps and information.

{jcomments off}In Northern Ireland, there are a range of healthcare services available.  However, it is important to choose the service which is most appropriate to your symptoms in order to get the right treatment in the right place.  To help with this selection, a new online resource called ‘Choose Well’ has been created.  You can visit it at: www.nidirect.gov.uk/choosewell

{jcomments off}Modern Fatherhood has just published a new report titled: ‘What do we know about non-resident fathers?’  This report is from NatCen Social Research, the Thomas Coram Research Unit and the University of East Anglia, and was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the Secondary Data Analysis Initiative.  The study uses data from the United Kingdom wide survey ‘Understanding Society’ - which provides a nationally representative sample of non-resident fathers.  The report is available online at: www.modernfatherhood.org/publications/what-do-we-know-about-non-resident-fathers

{jcomments off}Age Partnership Belfast is a collaborative initiative between Volunteer Now, Engage with Age and North Belfast Senior Citizens' Forum.  It supports a significant number of volunteer-led older persons' groups and forums across Belfast, as well as delivering a wide range of programmes which encourage older people to remain active, engaged with their communities, and central to influencing how services are delivered for them.  One of the key areas of work is addressing social isolation among men aged 50+.  The Partnership has established a Men’s Working Group which would like to commission a review of the extent and impact of current community, voluntary, statutory or private sector services aimed at combating social isolation among men aged 50+ in the Belfast area.  Tender information can be downloaded at www.volunteernow.co.uk/fs/doc/publications/men-50-research-tender.pdf and the closing date for receipt of proposals is 4.00pm on Thursday 12th December 2013.  For further information, contact Frank Johnston at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / Tel: 028 90 232020.

{jcomments off}An information sheet published by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in September 2011 outlines actions that employers should take to manage the risks posed by intoxicants (defined as drugs and alcohol) in the workplace.  This document contains information on how employers should manage the situation where an employee reports for, or is on duty, under the influence of an intoxicant.  Since the introduction of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the EAP Institute has been researching and developing a best practice training manual on workplace intoxicants which incorporates the requirements outlined in the information sheet published by the HSA.  EAP is running two seminars which will outline workplace intoxicant policy development, safety critical risk assessments, managing reasonable suspicion, reasonable accommodation and intoxicant testing.  These will be held on Thursday 6th February 2014 (Dublin) and Thursday 20th February 2014 (Limerick).  Details and booking arrangements can be found at: www.eapinstitute.com/drugalcohol.asp