Public Health Agency

What Public Health Agency does

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is a statutory body of the Northern Ireland Department of Health, founded in 2009, headquartered at 12-22 Linenhall Street, Belfast, and operating with 251-500 employees across Northern Ireland. Its mandate is to protect and improve the health and social wellbeing of the NI population, delivered through three core service lines: Health Protection (infectious disease surveillance, outbreak management, vaccination and immunisation programmes, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, emergency preparedness), Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement (mental health and wellbeing, smoking cessation, organ donation, health inequalities, healthy eating, skin cancer prevention), and Screening (abdominal aortic aneurysm, antenatal, breast, bowel, cervical cancer, diabetic eye, and newborn screening). Operational technology assets include the NI Self-Harm Registry (collecting anonymised ED attendance data since 2012/13), the COVID-19 Vaccination Surveillance System, the Vaccine Management System, and the Health Protection Situational Awareness report.

PHA delivers services free at point of use, funded entirely through government appropriations via the Department of Health. It coordinates and commissions delivery through the HSC system — five regional Health Trusts, the Business Services Organisation (BSO), the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG), the Patient Client Council (PCC), GPS surgeries, community pharmacies, local councils, and contracted third parties such as Cancer Focus NI and Sustrans. Public-facing infrastructure includes the Lifeline 24/7 crisis helpline (0808 808 8000), Stop Smoking NI, and a portfolio of branded information portals (Minding Your Head, Drugs and Alcohol NI, Be Cancer Aware, Organ Donation NI, Sexual Health NI, Breastfed Babies, Choose to Live Better). Distribution is exclusively regional — Northern Ireland is the only served geography — although a 2026 cross-border initiative with Ireland's HSE signals expanding partnership scope on an all-island basis.

Name

Public Health Agency

Legal name

Public Health Agency

Website

https://publichealth.hscni.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Public Health Agency is a statutory body of the Northern Ireland Department of Health that protects and improves the health and wellbeing of the NI population through health protection, screening, vaccination, mental health, smoking cessation, and substance misuse programmes delivered free at point of use via the Health and Social Care system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is a statutory government body in Northern Ireland that protects and improves the health of the regional population. It delivers health protection (infectious disease surveillance, outbreak management, vaccination programmes), population screening (cancer, newborn, diabetic eye), health and social wellbeing improvement (smoking cessation, mental health, substance misuse), and crisis support services such as the Lifeline helpline and Self-Harm Registry. All services are coordinated through Northern Ireland's Health and Social Care (HSC) system and provided free at point of use.

Product overview

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is a multi-disciplinary government health organisation dedicated to improving and protecting the health of Northern Ireland's population. Rather than a unified software product, the PHA delivers a comprehensive portfolio of public health services and programmes through its website and operational infrastructure. The portfolio spans health protection (infectious disease surveillance, vaccination programmes, antimicrobial resistance monitoring), health and social wellbeing improvement (mental health, smoking cessation, substance misuse), population screening programmes (cancer, newborn, diabetic eye), crisis support services (Lifeline helpline, Self-Harm Registry), and professional healthcare services (nursing, midwifery, allied health professions). Key digital resources include Stop Smoking NI for smoking cessation support, the Self-Harm Registry for trend monitoring, and Digital Health and Care Northern Ireland for health technology initiatives. The PHA also provides extensive public information publications and coordinates with HSC Trusts, local councils, and partner organisations across Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Be cancer aware: Cancer awareness website providing information about cancer prevention and early detection
• Breastfed babies
• Choose to live better
• Covid-19
• Drugs and alcohol NI
• Lifeline helpline
• Minding your head
• Organ donation NI
• Sexual health NI
• Stop smoking NI

Products and services

• Health Protection Services Comprehensive health protection programme covering infectious disease surveillance, outbreak management, vaccination and immunisation programmes, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, and emergency preparedness for the Northern Ireland population.
• Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Programmes focused on mental health and wellbeing, smoking cessation, organ donation, health inequalities, healthy eating and weight management, and skin cancer prevention for the Northern Ireland population.
• Screening Programmes Regional screening services including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), antenatal, breast, bowel cancer, cervical cancer, diabetic eye, and newborn screening for Northern Ireland.
• Northern Ireland Self-Harm Registry Northern Ireland-wide monitoring system collecting anonymised data from Emergency Departments on hospital attendances due to self-harm and suicidal ideation, providing trend analysis over time to inform service development.
• Digital Health and Care Northern Ireland (DHCNI) Digital health initiatives and technology programmes supporting health and social care delivery across Northern Ireland through innovation and digital transformation.
• Stop Smoking NI Online portal providing free expert support, local stop smoking services information, access to trained advisors, and proven treatments to help people across Northern Ireland quit smoking. Over 600 services delivered across GP surgeries, community pharmacies, hospitals, community centres and workplaces, used by nearly 24,000 people annually.
• Lifeline Helpline Free 24-hour crisis response helpline for people experiencing distress or despair, with trained counsellors providing immediate phone support and follow-up assistance across Northern Ireland.
• Vaccination and Immunisation Programmes Vaccine preventable diseases and immunisation programmes including COVID-19 vaccination surveillance, seasonal influenza vaccination, RSV vaccination for older adults and infant protection, and professional resources for healthcare providers.
• Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Professional healthcare services including children's nursing, community care nursing, mental health and learning disability services, midwifery, and twelve allied health profession categories including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy.
• SHIP Self-Harm Intervention Programme Self-harm intervention programme providing support and counselling for people who self-harm, equipping them with new coping strategies, along with family and carer education and support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 stop smoking services delivered across Northern Ireland
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Service Executive (HSE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026All-island partnership for drug harm reduction, with PHA partnering with HSE in warning ahead of festival season regarding substance harm reduction.
• Health and Social Care (HSC) TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHA works closely with local Health Trusts across Northern Ireland (Belfast, Northern, South Eastern, Western, Southern) to deliver health protection services, screening programmes, and commissioned community services.
• Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) of Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHA collaborates with SPPG on strategic planning and performance within the Northern Ireland health system.
• Business Services Organisation (BSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for shared corporate services and operational support across the Northern Ireland health sector.
• Patient Client Council (PCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on patient and public involvement in health services across Northern Ireland.
• Local Councils (Northern Ireland)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal councils are authorised to enforce smoking legislation through spot checks, investigation of complaints, and test purchasing to ensure tobacco products are not sold to children.
• Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHA facilitated Mental Health First Aid training and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training for 36 union representatives across Northern Ireland workplaces.
• Sustrans LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract awarded for Community Active Travel Programme in Belfast (November 2016 - October 2019, £142,500 per annum).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/publichealthni
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PublicHealthAgency/feed
• Facebookfacebook.com/publichealthagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-health-agency-pha
• Instagraminstagram.com/publichealthni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Health Agency