Author: Jackie.McCabe

The IFEH Magazine Environment & Health International Volume 25 No 1, April 2025Edition is now available HERE

PHS Chair Vacancy

Scottish Ministers want to appoint a Chair to PHS. PHS is Scotland’s lead national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all Scotland’s people, using the best data, intelligence and research.

Expertise in health and/or social care are not an essential criterion, and applications are invited from a wide range of people who have an interest in public service. Full information can be found here and the closing date for applications is Tuesday 15 May 2025.

If there are any difficulties accessing the SG website, please contact the Public Appointments Team on 0300 244 1898, by email at PA_Applications_Mailbox@gov.scot, or by writing to the Public Appointments Team, Scottish Government, Area 3F North, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ.

To mark our 150^th anniversary, we have launched a brand-new REHIS Instagram page – a space where we will celebrate history, share key updates, and connect more closely with our community.

This new platform is also a step towards enhancing engagement with our REHIS members, offering an accessible way to keep with news from the institute, events, and the broader Environmental Health profession.

Keep an eye out for:

• Event updates and highlights
• Moments from our 150^th celebrations
• Spotlights on members, training partners, and success stories
• Key news about Environmental and Public Health

We would love to see you there! Head over to Instagram and give us a follow @rehisscotland

Let’s grow our community and continue raising the profile of Environmental Health together.

#REHIS #150YearsofREHIS #EnvironmentalHealth #PublicHealth #Scotland #REHISOnInstagram

Early Bird Booking is now open for the REHIS 150th Anniversary Forum which is being held on Thursday 25th September 2025.

BOOK HERE!

As REHIS celebrates 150 years, on International Women’s Day we celebrate the powerful contributions of women who are at the forefront of environmental health and inspiring the next generation of Environmental Health Officers. Here are the Past Presidents of REHIS since 2017. 

Hi, I am Ryan! I am a third-year Business Management with Marketing student at Edinburgh Napier University, currently undertaking an internship as a Marketing Assistant at REHIS. This opportunity will allow me to apply my knowledge from my studies and apply them in real world setting, which I am excited to embark on.

My passion for marketing is matched by my growing appreciation for environmental health. Even though I am just at the start of my journey with REHIS, I have learned about the crucial role that Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) play in upholding public health, from food safety to workplace hygiene and environmental protection. This has deepened my respect for the field and its impact on everyday life.

I am excited to contribute to 150^th anniversary celebrations of REHIS, helping to promote its history and ongoing work. My goals for this placement goes further than just the anniversary celebrations, moreover I would like to help bring awareness to environmental health careers, ensuring that the next generation understands the importance of this profession. Working alongside a great team, I am certain I will gain invaluable experience and be of service to REHIS and its members.

Celebrating 150 Years

REHIS is celebrating its 150-year anniversary with a series of events and projects – and a very special tartan reflecting its long history.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland has been at the forefront of efforts to improve the health of Scotland’s people since 1875, through education, training and qualifications.

Now REHIS is planning a year of celebrations, kicking off with the creation of a colourful tartan that cleverly uses the Institute’s history as inspiration. Created by Tartan Caledonia, the design incorporates the colours of the official REHIS crest and boasts thread counts that mark the year of its inception. To see the new tartan and understand its history, refer to REHIS 150 Tartan – REHIS

The Institute was established after the merger of the Sanitary Association of Scotland (founded on 20 January 1875) and the Scottish Institute of Environmental Health set up in 1973. The two organisations merged in 1983 to form REHIS.  On 8 March 2001, the Queen signed the seal for the Institute to be incorporated by Royal Charter. The first published papers of the Sanitary Association in 1890 describe the appointment of an Examination Board to hold “periodical examinations in sanitary science, for the purpose of granting certificates of competency for the office of sanitary inspector”.

The papers went on to state “ if the public, and more especially the health committees connected with local authorities, can be induced to study the syllabus of subjects we have framed, every one of which subjects has a special bearing upon the health of the community as well as each individual, and a full knowledge of which is necessary to the attaining of our Certificate of Competency, they will see the necessity of having the men, into whose hands they have placed such heavy responsibilities, being thoroughly trained for the duties, and when they have appointed them, help them in their work, and encourage them in every possible way, in the faithful and efficient discharge of their obligations”. 

The lofty ideals of the Association are just as relevant, with the role of the Environmental Health Profession and REHIS members more important than ever in today’s world. Along with the REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health, the Institute awards qualifications in Food Hygiene, Food and Health, HACCP, Control of Infection, Occupational Health and Safety and First Aid. Courses leading to REHIS qualifications are available at Approved Training Centres throughout Scotland. Many of the qualifications are recognised by industry, not just in Scotland but nationally and internationally. 

The Institute is also committed to Update Events throughout the year, keeping our members appraised of the latest thinking on food safety, health and safety, pollution and public health.

A working group of members are involved in a series of projects to mark the 150-year anniversary. These include: a new 150 logo; a video montage of members’ reflections on how REHIS has influenced and shaped their working lives; and a timeline of key events in the life of the Institute. The timeline will begin as far back as 1842, when social reformer Sir Edwin Chadwick produced a report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain. It will incorporate important Acts of Parliament, such as the Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897 and the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008, through to more recent events such as the crucial role played by EHOs and our members during the recent pandemic.

The Institute will host a 150-anniversary Forum with a dinner in September, when the timeline will be launched. The forum theme will be “Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future”. A number of locations are being considered (subject to cost and availability) and we are keen to combine this with an “Open Door” at the REHIS offices in Torphichen Street, where a wealth of photos, documents and newspaper articles will be on display.

The year will end with a special anniversary edition of the REHIS Journal, featuring reflections from Past Presidents and key events in the Institute’s history. 

The Institute is immensely proud of the work it has undertaken in the past 150 years; how it has evolved and how it has addressed the many challenges facing the profession.  Looking to the future, it will continue to improve and protect public health in Scotland through its education programmes.

We encourage all REHIS members to promote and participate in the year ahead to mark this huge milestone and the work of the Institute.

For more information, please contact the Chief Executive contact@

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS

REHIS woven into the fabric of Public Health in Scotland

As part of the 150-year celebrations, the Institute has designed a colourful tartan that cleverly uses the Institute’s history as inspiration. Created by Tartan Caledonia, the design incorporates the colours of the official REHIS crest and boasts thread counts that mark the year of our inception, 1875: 18 for green, 7 for black and 5 for yellow. The main central design (in blue and red) adds up to 150 threads.

The Institute was established after the merger of the Sanitary Association of Scotland (founded on 20 January 1875) and the Scottish Institute of Environmental Health, set up in 1973. The two organisations merged in 1983 to form The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland, often referred as REHIS.  In 2001, the Queen signs the seal for the Institute to be incorporated by Royal Charter.

The vibrant design was registered on the Scottish Tartan Register, on 20 January 2025 as a permanent reminder of the vital work of REHIS, a very special tartan reflecting our long history.

The Institute is delighted to learn that Ruth Robertson, a long standing REHIS Chartered Environmental Health Officer member and former Head of Programme, Health Protection, NHS Education for Scotland, has been awarded a Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Public Health and Health Protection in Scotland in the New Years Honours List.

In 2024, Ruth was the worthy recipient of the Institute’s Meritorious Endeavours in Environmental Health Award for the significant contribution she made to the improvement and protection of health and well-being in Scotland over many years through her career in public health and health protection.

Congratulations to Ruth and best wishes to her and to her family.

Lynn Crothers (L – REHIS Past President) with Ruth Robertson (R)

The REHIS office will close at 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and will re-open on Friday 3 January.  If you have an urgent query, please email contact@

The IFEH Magazine Environment & Health International Volume 24 No 3, Nov 2024 Edition is now available here