Author: Jackie.McCabe

In this episode of The REHIS Spotlight Sessions, we’re joined by Lindsey-Anne McNeil, President of REHIS and Principal Officer for Private Sector Housing at Glasgow City Council.

Lindsey-Anne shares her journey into environmental health, her experiences working within local government, and the important role housing plays in protecting public health. We also explore her work leading initiatives to improve housing standards across Glasgow, as well as her perspective on the profession and its future.

This episode offers valuable insight for anyone considering a career in environmental health, particularly those interested in housing and community wellbeing.

To listen to the podcast click here: 🎧Lindsey Anne McNeil

Noise Action Week returns in 2026 with the backing of a powerful coalition of professional bodies, regulators and industry organisations, underlining the urgent need to treat noise as a public health priority.

Coordinated by the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) at the Institution of Environmental Sciences (the IES), the campaign will run from 11–15 May, putting a national spotlight on the health impacts of noise and the practical action needed to reduce it.

Noise Action Week is supported by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA), the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS), the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC), the Noise Abatement Society, the UK Noise Association, and the Noise App.

This broad coalition reflects growing cross-sector recognition that noise remains under-addressed, despite strong evidence linking it to serious health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia.

With one month to go, organisers are calling on local authorities, practitioners and businesses to support the campaign and help amplify its message. A programme of online events will run throughout the week, including a launch event on the health impacts of noise by internationally recognised expert Professor Charlotte Clark. A free communications toolkit and other resources are also available to drive engagement. Organisations and individuals can find out more, access resources and sign up for updates via the Noise Action Week webpage.

Chair of the ANC, Louise Beamish, said: “The World Health Organisation lists the impact of excessive noise on humans as increasing the risk for ischemic heart disease and hypertension, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, tinnitus and cognitive impairment, as well as causing widespread annoyance.

The WHO also points to increasing evidence for other health impacts such as adverse birth outcomes and mental health problems, and there are also links between excessive noise exposure and dementia.

These are very serious, detrimental effects on society that ANC members work to address, and we welcome Noise Action Week as a means of raising the profile of the issues faced.”

John Stewart, Chair of the UK Noise Association, said: “The Government has got to get serious about tackling noise. It doesn’t just annoy millions of people but it is now recognised as a serious health issue.”

Gloria Elliott OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Noise Abatement Society, said: “Excessive noise is far more than a nuisance, it’s a serious and often overlooked public health issue. At the Noise Abatement Society (NAS), we see the real impact unwanted noise has on people’s everyday health and wellbeing. As a supporter of Noise Action Week, we are proud to work alongside our fellow sector partners to drive greater awareness, practical solutions, and a shared commitment to creating healthier sound environments for all.”

Ellie Savage, Campaign Coordinator at the IES, added: “The strong support we have already received shows the sector is ready to act. Noise Action Week 2026 puts the health impacts front and centre, showcasing practical solutions and best practice to ensure noise is taken seriously in policy, decision making and everyday life.”

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) has launched its Strategic Plan, which sets out our vision, aims, and priorities for the next three years.

The strategic plan is the result of engagement with Members and consultation with the Council. It sets out our key priorities which we aim to achieve over the coming three-year period.

We would like to thank all involved with the Institute: our Members, our elected Council, our Approved Training Centres, and our staff for contributing to the ongoing success of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.

REHIS launches Manifesto highlighting challenges facing Environmental Health

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) has launched its Manifesto, setting out four key challenges to be addressed to protect and improve Environmental Health and the communities it serves across Scotland.

REHIS stands ready to work with politicians from all parties and key stakeholders to strengthen public health now and for the future.

Public Health Scotland launched their new 10-year strategy, Together we can. The strategy sets a clear and ambitious direction for improving health and wellbeing across Scotland, driven by evidence, collaboration, and the voices of people and communities across the country.

Wood burning produces fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), which enters your bloodstream when inhaled and can cause heart and lung disease, as well as increasing your risk of diabetes and dementia.

If people in the UK only burned wood when no other heat source is available, we could avoid more than 1,500 deaths in the UK every year and save the NHS over £54 million in healthcare costs (that’s nearly 1.5 million GP appointments each year).

Even homes with newer “Ecodesign” wood burners are three times more polluted than those without, putting the health of you and your family at risk. And burning wood doesn’t just pollute your home – it pollutes your local community and harms the health of your neighbours.

We all want to stay warm this winter, but cosiness shouldn’t cost our health. This Clean Air Night (22 January 2026), share the facts about wood burning with your friends and family to protect everyone’s health.

Visit cleanairhub.org.uk to find out more and join the conversation on #CleanAirNight

Read the Ricardo report and watch the recording from the webinar in October to learn more about research quantifying the impacts of domestic burning on health.  

On behalf of everyone at REHIS, we wish you a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.  We thank you for your continued support and look forward to working with you again in 2026. 

The REHIS office will close at 2pm on Wednesday 24 December 2024 and will re-open on Monday 5 January 2026. 

Postgraduate courses aim to boost recruitment of Environmental Health Officers across Scotland

Abertay University has unveiled three new postgraduate programmes in Environmental Health to address Scotland’s critical shortage of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) within local authorities.

Read the full article here Abertay University launches new environmental health programmes to strengthen Scotland’s public health workforce

The recent Global Action Plan webinar on their research and the wider health and environmental impacts of domestic burning recording is now available from the event. The full report by Ricardo in partnership with Global Action Plan and Hertfordshire County Council here. 

Clean Air Night is on 22 January 2026. Their full comms pack is also now available on Trello, for information in the lead up to and on the day of Clean Air Night to spread the word about the health harms of wood burning.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published updated guidance on the public health management of elevated lead levels in drinking water.

It is available on the PHS website and can be accessed using this link: Public health management of elevated lead levels in drinking water

It was produced collaboratively by a multi-disciplinary Guidance Development Group (GDG) who used Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN) methods. A full methods statement is available in the guidance.

This guidance is for all professionals involved in the public health response to elevated lead levels in drinking water.

Key messages about this guidance.

• This guidance updates and replaces the 2016 guidance titled ‘Public health action in response to detecting high levels of lead in drinking water: good practice guidance for health protection teams in Scotland’
• An equality impact assessment (EQIA) has been undertaken to identify and mitigate against any negative impacts on various groups that may arise due to implementation of the guidance recommendations
• Template letters for HPTs and local authorities have been developed to support use of the guidance and they can be modified by users
• The evidence summary used to inform GDG discussions and support the development of recommendations is also available

The Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee has launched a call for views on the Financial Memorandum of the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill. The deadline for responses is Wednesday 26 November 2025

For convenience, the specific questions to which the Committee is seeking responses below.

1. Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made? 

2. If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the FM? 

3. Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise?

4. If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details.

5. Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate? 

6. If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met? 

7. Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise?

Before making a submission, please read the privacy notice about submitting views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process your personal data.

ASH Scotland Learning Event – Tobacco Industry Levy with Dr Rob Branston

Presentation with Dr Rob Branston (Associate Professor in Business Economics and Co-Director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath) on the principles of a ‘polluter pays’ levy on the tobacco industry gave us food for thought and prompted a lively discussion.

ASH Scotland advocates for such a levy to be introduced in Scotland under devolved health powers, or at UK level, to hold Big Tobacco financially accountable for the damage caused by their addictive health harming products, and we’d appreciate your support for our campaigning on this issue, going forward.

We are delighted to let you know that a video of Dr Branston’s presentation is now available to view on ASH’s YouTube channel.