The Archway Surgery, Armagh

13/03/2026

Walk or run - fancy outfits optional!

Saturday 14th March | 9.30 am | FREE
REGISTRATION REQUIRED VIA PARKRUN LINK - https://www.parkrun.org.uk/armagh/

Limber up in the beauty of the Palace Demesne as part of St Patrick’s Festival 2026 and get involved in the weekly 5K timed run. Lace up your running shoes and join us at the Palace Demesne to get your St Patrick’s celebrations up and running.

Green tutus, shamrock singlets and even emerald-dyed hair (wear something green 💚) will be most welcome, channel your inner leprechaun! Children are encouraged to participate (however anyone under the age of 11, must be accompanied by a parent/guardian).

We would advise anyone coming along for the first time to Armagh parkrun, that they register as noted here https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register

What does it cost to join in? Nothing - it's free! but please register before you first come along. You only ever need to register with Parkrun once - don't forget to bring a scannable copy of your registration barcode. See you there 🏃🚶☘️☘️

11/03/2026

Did you know that all newborn babies are offered hearing tests?

11/03/2026

Need help to stop smoking?

11/03/2026

Parents are probably aware that the childhood immunisation in Northern Ireland is changing. More details here:

11/03/2026

Varicella (chicken-pox) vaccination is now included in the childhood vaccination schedule and we find folk are keen to have this vaccine. Folk are aware that chicken pox can be miserable illness and necessitates absence from school.
With vaccination measles, mumps and rubella are much less commonly seen and there is less awareness of how serious these can be and how effective the vaccine is at preventing these infections.
Herd immunity refers to when immunity in a population is high because of vaccination (or past infection) and infection is unlikely to spread rapidly. Unfortunately we need a vaccination rate of 95% or higher with two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine to prevent outbreaks and ensure herd immunity against measles. Because measles is extremely contagious, this high threshold is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading, as even small gaps in vaccination coverage can lead to outbreaks.
With a decreased awareness of what particularly measles looks like we have noticed that vaccination uptake has reduced and this means that unvaccinated children are no longer protected by herd immunity in our local population and an outbreak is possible. For more information have a listen to this podcast and any of our doctors or practice nurses will be happy to chat with you if you have any queries.

Measles, mumps and rubella are all serious illnesses. They are also all preventable. Vaccination is safe and effective. But take up of the vaccine is not what it should be. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to this BMJ Best Practice podcast interview w...

08/03/2026

Reading Round is coming to Living Well Café, South Tyrone Hospital.

A gentle, welcoming space to listen to stories and poems and share thoughts together. Everyone welcome—no reading or writing is required. 💙

Starting Monday 13th April 2026

08/03/2026

Share with anyone currently pregnant who might be interested...

Are you pregnant? We would love you to attend our antenatal face to face breastfeeding workshop, which have been scheduled monthly for the rest of the year.
Click the link below to fill out the registration form and choose your date. This class is open to all who are thinking about breastfeeding.https://forms.office.com/e/VFnLD8m87d

06/03/2026

This is worth reposting as we are seeing increasing numbers of patients on weight loss injectable drugs and they can interfere with Contraception (and with HRT). If you are using a weight loss injection and are prescribed either contraceptive pills or HRT medication please discuss with your GP.

Weight loss injections and contraception.
At present these weight loss injections are only available on the NHS in NI for those with poorly controlled Diabetes, however some people are getting these prescribed privately. It is important to be aware of potential effects on contraception. Any of these drugs can cause tummy upset, and as you know, vomiting or diarrhoea can affect the absorption of oral medication - especially oral contraception.
Additionally Tirzepetide (also known as Mounjaro or Zepbound) can reduce the effectiveness of the oral contraceptive pill even if there is no vomiting or diarrhoea side effects. Additional measures of contraceptions or an alternative method is needed for a month after starting or after any increase in dose.
https://www.contraceptionchoices.org/Common/Uploaded%20files/documents/Patient-information-GLP-1-agonists-and-contraception.pdf

06/03/2026

Did you notice this on the BBC or various other outlets? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80142p2g00o

Many of the possible side effects previously attributed to statins (cholesterol lowering tablets) have been shown not to be related to the drugs after extensive studies.

Huge trials over many years have now been done on these drugs and we know a lot more about them than when they first came into general use over 30 years ago.

When two things happen at the same time , eg taking a statin and getting aches it can be difficult to tell if the one thing caused the other or would have happened anyway (In the age range that we tend to prescribe statins for many folk will get aches on and off whether they are on a statin or not)

This BBC report relates to a huge study of 120 thousand people who were given either a statin or a placebo (dummy pill) and they didn't know which they had got. The rate of most problems was no more common in the group taking the statin than in the group taking the dummy pills.

It's particularly worth taking a read of this article if you have been advised a statin could be a useful thing for you but you are hesitating because you are concerned about possible side effects.

The results, in The Lancet journal, come from trials involving more than 120,000 people comparing statins with a dummy drug or placebo.

01/02/2026

Some courses available from the Southern Health and Social Care trust recovery college...

01/02/2026

Retired, have a bit of time on your hands and want to do something useful?
Maybe busy already but want to 'give something back' having had support yourself in the past?
For many reasons becoming a CRUSE bereavement volunteer can be good for the volunteer as well as for those who use CRUSE services.

We’re looking for volunteers to support bereaved children and young people in the Western Trust area - can you help?

Cruse Bereavement Support volunteers provide support to children and young people affected by the death of someone close to them. We provide group and 1-1 support to children aged 7 – 17. If you have the skills listed below, want to make a difference to bereaved children and young people and meet new people we want to hear from you.

What we’re looking for:
· Passionate about supporting children and young people
· Kind and inclusive
· Great communication skills with children, young people and families
· Able to work in a team
· Able to use a computer/IT skills
· Willing to take part in training and learn new skills
· Volunteer for 6-8 hours per month for at least 2 years

There is a training course running later this year -

Saturday, 18 April 2026
Saturday, 25 April 2026
Saturday, 2 May 2026
Saturday, 9 May 2026
Saturday, 16 May 2026
Saturday, 23 May 2026

The course is online and applicants must be able to attend all training sessions. If you would like to apply for a place on this course, please fill in an application form through our website - https://www.cruse.org.uk/volunteer-application-form/

For further information about this volunteering role, please contact eleanor.ellerslie@cruse.org.uk

Disclaimer: Cruse is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people. Volunteers must apply for a relevant disclosure check and attend regular Cruse safeguarding training. 💜

01/02/2026

For anyone who is pregnant and considering breast feeding (or just wanting some information) these workshops are running on various dates at either Daisy hill or Craigavon hospital sites.
The benefits of breastfeeding for both mum and baby are well documented(https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/breastfeeding.html) and some advice and support can reduce the chance of difficulties.