Health Board: Upcoming conferences, talks, campaigns and events

1) The third session of Tallaght University Hospital's bowel disease summer school takes place on Wednesday, June 5th. Led by consultant gastroenterologist Dr Anthony O'Connor, the school will run from 4.30pm-7.30pm at the TCD Institute of Population Health, Russell Building, Tallaght Cross, Dublin 24. The school is being run with the support of the Adelaide Health Foundation. Open to the public, email tallaghtibdschool@gmail.com to confirm your attendance.

2) The Irish Hospice Foundation will host its first regional "Living with Loss" event in Cork on Thursday, June 6th, at 6.30pm, in collaboration with local bereavement support services. The event – from 6.30pm to 9.30pm – takes place at the Clayton Hotel in Cork city and will provide information about grief and the range of supports available to bereaved people. Former Cork hurler Dessie Fitzgerald will be the guest speaker. He will talk about the loss of his two brothers. The event is free of charge and booking is not required. More details at hospicefoundation.ie

3) Prof Fergus Shanahan, APC Microbiome Ireland, UCC and Cork University Hospital, will give a lecture, "Robert Graves – when 'he fed fevers' he fed the microbiome", at Corrigan and Graves Halls, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, on Thursday, June 6th, at 7pm. Register (free) at attendance rami.ie

4) The next Deep End Ireland Annual meeting on "Children's Health Inequalities" will be on Saturday, June 8th in Dublin. Speakers include Prof Graham Watt of the original Deep End Scotland group on the "Exceptional Potential of General Practice" and Dr Sharon Lambert (UCC) on adverse childhood experiences. Attending the 9.30am-12.30pm event at the RCSI on York Street is free. You can register at eventbrite.ie.

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5) A "Virtual Dementia Tour" will be brought to five locations this month as part of Carers Week 2019. The free tour is aimed at providing visitors with the opportunity to briefly experience what life is like for those who have been diagnosed with dementia. The tour will begin in Blanchardstown, Dublin, at homecare provider Right at Home's head office, Patricia Lodge, Main Street, Blanchardstown, on Monday, June 10th June (9.30am to 5pm). The following day it will be at Rathfarmham Shopping Centre car park in the morning (9.30am-noon) and in Tesco car park in Newbridge, Co Kildare, in the afternoon (3pm-5pm). On Wednesday, June 12th, it will be at Douglas Court Shopping Centre, Cork (9.30am-5pm), and, finally, the following day in Right at Home, Mulvoy Park, Galway (9.30am-5pm).

6) The third iCoachKids International Conference takes place at University of Limerick on Friday, June 14th, and Saturday, June 15th. Under the overall theme of "Child-Centred Coaching", speakers include Prof Dan Gould, director of Youth Sports Institute, Michigan State University; Prof Marie Murphy, professor of exercise and health, dean of postgraduate research and director of the Ulster Doctoral College, University of Ulster; and Prof Nicolette Schipper van Veldhoven, professor of sport pedagogy, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands. Tickets – €50 for one day and €80 for both days – can be purchased at ickinternationalconference.com

7) Cruinniú na nÓg is a day of creativity for children and young people and includes 700 free events around the country. This year, it takes place on Saturday, June 15th. Some of the events are also suitable for families with ASD children, including a gardening workshop in Kildare, a sensory storytelling in Swords Castle and Mergle's Tale by the Innabubble Theatre Company in Cahirciveen, Co Kerry. For more information and full listings of all the events, see creativeireland.gov.ie

8) The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association wants people to "Drink Tea for MND" during this month, which is MND Awareness month. To organise an event in or around June 21st, visit imnda.ie to be set a fundraising tea pack. More information from fundraising@imnda.ie or Freephone 1800-403 403.

9) The Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) has announced a new postgraduate diploma in healthcare innovation, level NFQ 9 – the first focused on the development of "healthcare innovation ambassadors" in Ireland. Places on the course are mixed, both industry and HSE, with one-third offered at a reduced rate for HSE applicants. HIHI is a joint initiative of both the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Health, funded through Enterprise Ireland and supported by the HSE. Closing date for applicants is June 30th. Course details at tcd.ie/medicine

10) The third National Patient Experience Survey is under way in all public acute hospitals in Ireland. The survey is a part of the National Care Experience Programme, a joint initiative by Hiqa, the HSE and the Department of Health, offering patients the opportunity to share their experiences in hospital and describe what improvements they believe are necessary. An estimated 28,000 patients will be eligible to participate in this year's survey, which contains 61 questions. Eligible patients will receive a survey by post about two weeks after their discharge from hospital. The survey can be completed in paper form or online, and must be submitted by 5pm on July 25th. More information at patientexperience.ie.

11) The HRB (Health Research Board) Mother and Baby Clinical Trial Network and Dublin's Rotunda Hospital have launched a new podcast series, "Real Talk with Real Mums". The 10-part series is designed for pregnant women and soon-to-be mums and is presented by 2fm presenter Louise McSharry. The first two episodes – covering diet and exercise and also planning for birth – are available on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud and at realtalkwithrealmums.ie. A new episode will be released on the last Thursday of every month.

12) The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) human milk bank located at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen is asking more new mothers to donate breast milk as stocks are low. "We are encouraging new mothers to help with the increase in demand for breast milk and to ensure we have an adequate supply for neonatal units across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," says Jacinta Boyle, co-ordinator of the Western Trust milk bank. If you would like to find out more about the milk bank and becoming a donor, contact the milk bank on 028-686 28333 or email TMB.SWAH@westerntrust.hscni.net.

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