HSE Partner Pack 10 March 2025

Brain Awareness Week 2025

Brain Awareness Week takes place from 10-16 March and this year’s theme is ‘Focus on the Brain’. Our brains are amazing, they can adapt, so it’s never too late or too early to start looking after our brain health and potentially decrease our risk of developing dementia.

We will be encouraging people across the country to take steps to protect their brain health and make simple lifestyle changes that can help to reduce the risk of developing some types of dementia.

The campaign pack included at the bottom of this this email contains social media messages and images to support, we’d be grateful if you could please help to raise awareness and share with your networks and on your social media channels during Brain Awareness Week.

Thank you for supporting the Dementia: Understand Together campaign.

First version of HSE Health App includes hospital appointments for expectant mothers

 Download from the App Store or Google Play

The Department of Health and HSE recently launched the first version of the HSE Health App. It is one of the first initiatives delivered as part of Digital for Care, Ireland’s health and social care digital framework. Anyone aged 16 and over can download the app for free from Google Play or the App Store, however first phase functionality is most useful for expectant mothers.

First phase functionality allows people to:

• carry a digital list of self-declared medications and see a list of medicines received through the Drugs Payment Scheme or Medical Card Scheme
• store your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), medical card, Long-term Illness card (LTI), Drugs Payment Scheme card (DPS) and GP Visit card
• access flu and COVID-19 vaccination records
• easily find information about HSE services, such as EDs and Injury Units
• view maternity service appointments (for expectant mothers)

A verified MyGovID is needed to access personal health information

To log in to the HSE Health App and access personal health information, you will need a verified MyGovID account. A verified MyGovID proves who you are and ensures we are giving personal health information to the right person.

If you do not have a verified MyGovID, you will still be able to use the app to find information about health conditions and HSE services.

The launch of the first version of the new HSE Health App represents the next step forward in our digital transformation journey, as we seek to harness the power of data and innovation to help improve access to care for patients and enhance efficiencies across services. The app is an evolving programme of work, with new services and features planned each year, including expanding the appointment functionality for all public hospital appointments. This is a challenging undertaking but a key priority. For more information see hse.ie/health-app  

Download the HSE Health App for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Supporting patients and staff to understand the links between smoking, HPV and cervical cancer

Smoking increases the risk of having an active HPV infection which can lead to harmful health outcomes such as cell abnormalities in the cervix and cervical cancer.

New resources and supports are being provided to women who are referred to colposcopy clinics through CervicalCheck and who are smokers. The resources will support women who smoke so they can better understand the relationship between smoking, HPV and cervical cancer, and the benefits of quitting smoking. In addition, the HSE QUIT team is putting in place e-referrals from colposcopy clinics, so that clinics can easily refer their patients to quit smoking services. 

Learn more and read about the new resources.

March is QUIT month

HSE QUIT services are free and available to anyone who needs help to quit smoking. The QUIT service provides personalised, evidence-based plans, tailored to your needs including free Nicotine Replacement Therapies like patches, gums and mouth sprays.

Freephone the QUITline on 1800 201 203 or visit QUIT.ie for more information.

HSE Talking Health & Wellbeing Podcast

On this week’s podcast, we’re joined by guest Damien McCallion, Deputy HSE CEO and Chief Technology and Transformation Officer to discuss the impact of digital transformation on Ireland’s healthcare system. Listeners will learn how digital health solutions will improve patient safety, streamline workflows, and support healthcare professionals by reducing repetitive tasks. The episode also covers electronic prescriptions, digital diagnostics, and new AI-driven tools that enhance decision-making in hospitals and community care settings.

Listen and share wherever you get your Podcasts or watch on the HSE Health and Wellbeing YouTube channel.

COVID-19

For information and advice, please go to https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/ and https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/. Clinical and professional guidance relating to COVID-19 is available on www.hpsc.ie.

If your organisation has any requests in relation to public health information materials, please reply directly to this email to let us know.

Many thanks,

Katie.