According to the Climate Change Advisory Council, Ireland is woefully unprepared for future extreme weather events such as heatwaves, flooding, and coastal surges, which are going to be more extreme and frequent in the future. Met Éireann issued numerous red weather warnings since the inception of the severe weather forecasting system. Storms Ophelia (Ex. Hurricane) and Emma (Snow Storm) proved to be extremely challenging weather events for the Health Service across Ireland.

A comprehensive review of debriefs and lessons identified processes completed across the health system was conducted, in connection with lived experiences of emergency management staff, following Storm Ophelia and Storm Emma.

As part of the emergency management life cycle and an attempt to enhance severe weather preparations, this study lists over 50 actions (development of specific HR policies, creating 4X4 capacity, severe weather preparations sessions, development of service-specific red weather event action cards, development of severe weather care plans for community palliative care and renal dialysis patients, sharing critical health care facilities with Local Authorities for road salting and gritting etc.) that were taken across the Health Service Executive South (Cork and Kerry) to enhance the preparations for severe weather events,

The frequency and intensity of severe weather events will increase in Ireland over the coming years, as a result, it is essential that healthcare facilities and services have learned from previous severe weather events to ensure that the necessary plans and procedures are in place for future events, ensuring the delivery of safe and effective patient care and staff safety.

This study aims to (1) investigate current practice regarding ‘weaning workshops’ to support complementary infant feeding delivered within Irish primary care, (2) explore the experiences and opinions of community dietitians regarding optimal content and modes of delivery of weaning workshops and (3) identify the key factors to be considered in the development and implementation of weaning workshops delivered within primary care.

Cross-sectional survey.

Irish primary care.

Forty-seven community-based dietitians.

Sixteen dietitians reported that workshops were run in their area with variable frequency, with ten reporting that workshops were never run in their area. Participants reported that mostly mothers of medium socio-economic status (SES) attended weaning workshops when infants were aged between 4 and 7 months, and that feedback from workshop attendees was predominantly positive. Dietitians identified that key factors to be considered in future development and delivery of weaning workshops are (1) workshop characteristics such as content, timing and venue, (2) organisational characteristics such as availability of resources and multidisciplinary involvement and (3) attendee characteristics such as SES.

This study highlights substantial variability regarding provision of weaning workshops in Ireland, and a lack of standardisation regarding the provider, content and frequency of workshops where workshops are being delivered. The study also provides unique insights into the experiences and opinions of primary care community dietitians regarding the development and delivery of weaning workshops in terms of optimal content and delivery options. These perspectives will make a valuable contribution given the dearth of evidence in this area internationally.

Currently, there is limited knowledge on the impact of father-only sessions or parenting programs supporting impending fatherhood. This research explored an antenatal dads program aimed at fathers to assess the benefits of such interventions.

Literature regarding parenting programs and early childhood education initiatives, especially those aimed at children and families in disadvantaged circumstance, have been demonstrated to act as a buffer to poorer health and lifestyle outcomes in later life.

A qualitative research approach was used to explore the experiences of 16 fathers and 6 staff of a community-based parenting program with sessions focusing on fatherhood.

Four main themes were identified from the data regarding the experiences of groups engaged with the Antenatal Dads and First Year Families program. The first theme ‘Knowledge and Capacity Building’ stated that the information provided in the program helped fathers to be better informed and prepared for their impending fatherhood. The second theme was ‘Mental Health Awareness’ and identified the importance of raising awareness of depression and suicide in fathers, including where and how to get help. The third theme was ‘Soft-Entry’ and highlighted how the attendance at one service helped participants to learn about additional services through word of mouth and targeted promotion. The final theme was ‘Feeling Connected’, which helped fathers to feel more connected with the process of childbirth and development including playing and engaging with their children. Overall, the fathers found that the male-only sessions assisted them by supporting frank discussions on fatherhood. Additionally, the study helped identify the advantages of fathers meeting other fathers through attendance in the program, or even other couples in similar situations that helped fathers to feel less lonely regarding their situation.