Category: News Item

The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on disinfecting premises during the coronavirus pandemic has been updated to include joint advice on risks to health that can be created by using walk-through spraying or misting systems.

HSE and public health bodies in England, Wales and Scotland have agreed joint advice on the risks to health from walk-through disinfecting systems for dutyholders considering using them to reduce transmission of coronavirus. 

Spraying people with disinfectants is not recommended under any circumstances (including in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber). The World Health Organisation has also confirmed that it could be harmful and does not reduce the spread of the virus. This is because transmission is usually through droplets or contact, so the effectiveness of these systems is likely to be minimal.

There is more information from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on potential health risks from whole-body walk-through systems.

The updated page on HSE’s site also has helpful advice on:

• cleaning premises using fog, mist or UV treatment
• the law on disinfectants
• only using HSE-authorised products in the UK
• supply and manufacture of disinfectants

New legislation, which will require food businesses in Scotland to include the product name and full ingredients, including allergen information on pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) foods was been laid in Parliament on 11 February 2021.

The new legislation will improve information about allergens and other ingredients in food packed in advance, mainly at the same place from which it’s sold, before being offered to consumers.

Examples of PPDS foods include sandwiches placed into packaging by the food business and sold from the same premises, wrapped deli counter goods such as cheese and meats, and boxed salads placed on a refrigerated shelf prior to sale.

This new requirement follows wide consultation, including engaging with business and enforcement stakeholders, and consumers on improving allergen information, to help prevent further food allergy deaths in the out of home environment.

The new law will offer increased protection and confidence for consumers living with a food allergy or intolerance in the food they buy out and about. On pack information will include the 14 ‘most common’ allergens specifically listed in food information law, as well as other ingredients which can trigger reactions.

The new law is intended to come into force on 1 October 2021 to align with the rest of the UK.

These changes are in line with those being made for England, Northern Ireland and Wales as part of a consistent approach for protecting consumers across the UK.

All arrivals to Scotland from outside the Common Travel Area must book and pay for managed isolation in quarantine hotels to help protect against the importation of Coronavirus (COVID-19) from 15 February.

Six hotels close to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports with a combined capacity of 1,300 rooms will be used to implement the quarantine at a cost of £1,750 per individual traveller. Final costs for those not travelling alone are currently being worked through, as well as the details for a Managed Isolation Welfare Fund which will be launched for those who cannot afford the charge. 

All arrivals must quarantine for at least ten days and will be tested twice for the virus – once on day two and once on day eight after arrival. 

Existing travel exemptions will be strengthened, including limiting overseas training for elite sportspeople to athletes and coaches preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics.

A small number of arrivals will not be required to isolate, such as those involved in essential supply chains for goods coming into Scotland.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with airports and discussions to secure a four nations approach to contracting the security, transport and accommodation services required are already under way.

As regulations to support the introduction of managed isolation are developed a range of offences and penalties to help ensure compliance will be considered.

It is still the case that all non-essential international travel is not permitted.

In a statement to Parliament the Transport Secretary urged the UK Government to match the comprehensive approach being taken by the Scottish Government.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): international travel and quarantine – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

People who have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 are now being asked to get tested.

The Scottish Government announced that the measure is designed to find asymptomatic coronavirus cases that would otherwise go undetected, as close contacts are at higher risk than the wider population, given their exposure to somebody with COVID-19.

Previously, outbreak Incident Management Teams (IMTs) have had the ability to order testing of close contacts on a case-by-case basis, in line with local assessment of clinical risk.

Now everyone who has been identified as a close contact via the Protect Scotland app, or through manual contact tracing, will be provided with instructions on how to book a PCR test.

The approach does not replace self-isolation in any way, and close contacts who test negative will still have to complete 10 days of self-isolation, as the virus’ incubation period means the risk of developing COVID-19 is only significantly reduced 10 days after exposure.

This means anyone leaving self-isolation early could still inadvertently infect others if they become positive at a later date.

Close contacts who test positive will be asked to self-isolate for a further 10 days from the time of their test result, to ensure they are no longer infectious when they leave self-isolation.

As a study of public health, the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) plays an important role in assessing health outcomes and challenges in Scotland. With aims to reduce health inequalities and improve Scotland’s life expectancy status, currently one of the lowest in Western Europe (including in the UK), improving the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s population continues to be a key policy focus both at local and national level. 

Read the report here.

Participants of the CPD Scheme, including EHO and non-EHO members, will be aware that CPD submissions for calendar year 2020 require to be with the Institute by 31 January 2021.  The submission and the supporting evidence can be either e mailed or posted to the Institute.  For those due to complete a written submission, guidance is available here. 

Written submissions are due for each three year period and can be submitted at any point within the three period to which they apply. 

If you are a new member or newly embarking on achieving Chartered status, or simply wish a reminder of the requirements of the Scheme, a copy can be found here. 

If you have any queries about the CPD Scheme or your own current status please e mail contact@.

A woman has been convicted of illegally whitening people’s teeth.

Brenda McFadyen, from Clydebank, was fined £1,000 after she pled guilty to the illegal practice of dentistry at Glasgow Sheriff Court last month.

The Dentists Act 1984 makes it illegal for anyone who is not registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) to practise dentistry. The GDC, which regulates the UK dental industry, allows only registered dentists to carry out teeth whitening.

Ms McFadyen was prosecuted under the Dentists Act 1984 after the GDC employed private detectives to gather evidence that she was whitening teeth.

The 63-year-old said she was angry that she had been prosecuted and she now wants to warn others not to get involved in offering teeth whitening products and services.

Ms McFadyen said she did not know she was doing something illegal until the police knocked on her door on a Saturday night earlier this year.

“I had been teeth whitening for three or four years. In my eyes I wasn’t doing anything illegal but I had to go to court and plead guilty and I was hit with a £1,000 fine,” she told BBC Scotland.

“It was just a bit of extra income. We are both retired, you’re trying your best to get on in life. And at my age, this is what I’ve had to go through.

“They’ve taken my name and they’ve ruined it.”

It is unclear how many people are injured as a result of illegal teeth whitening and there is no suggestion that any of Ms McFadyen’s clients were harmed.

Teeth whitening treatments has grown in popularity which has been contributed by celebrity culture and figures suggest one in eight Scots have had their teeth whitened. The procedure involves bleaching your teeth using a whitening product usually containing hydrogen peroxide.

Head of criminal enforcement at GDC, Katie Spears, praised the fine handed to Ms McFadyen and said it reflected the “seriousness” of the offence.

Ms Spears added: “There are big training providers who try to mislead members of the public into signing up to their training courses and buying their equipment and they make claims which are simply not true.

“The law in relation to tooth whitening is very clear and the only way you can have it safely done is through a registered dentist.”

Dentists regularly carry out teeth whitening but private companies also train people in how to oversee the procedure.

The GDC has not brought any cases against training companies but it has prosecuted 31 individuals across the UK this year.

BBC Scotland spoke to the dental hospitals in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee where the most serious cases would be treated. None of them had any referrals in relation to teeth whitening in the past year.

But dentist Jaspal Purba, from Bupa Dental Care, has treated patients who have come to him with complications.

“Allergies alone can be quite serious and can be life threatening if they begin to affect your airways,” he said.

“I have seen a few cases of allergic reaction and swelling of the lips and the tongue.

“But the most common complications I have seen, if someone has not had a custom-made tray, is burns of the lining of the mouth and the gums.”

National Supermarket chains including Tesco, Asda and Sainbury’s have announced strengthening their policies to ensure customer compliance with COVID-19 safety measures.

Tesco, Waitrose and Asda have all announced that they will not allow entry to customers who do not wear face coverings unless they are medically exempt.

While, Sainsbury’s have said they will challenge those who are not wearing a mask, following trials that showed customers complied more when asked to wear masks by security guards at the door, it said.

In addition, some stores have said for customers to shop alone to help with physical distancing in store and Asda’s is doubling the hours that Asda’s Covid Safety Marshals that will be on duty at the front of every store.

The Co-op also said it would not ban shoppers without masks from entering, and instead urged customers to take responsibility for wearing a face covering when visiting its stores, as it was mandatory by law.

Iceland said it would take a similar approach, adding the vast majority of its customers continued to shop in compliance with the law.

The additional measures are to making shopping safer during the current lockdown as supermarkets are one of the limited places where the public will come into contact with others.

Additional Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) and a roll out of community testing in Fife and Grampian are being introduced to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

These measures are part of a £3 million investment package in Scotland’s testing system and will allow NHS Fife and NHS Grampian to introduce community testing from this month.

Testing of all care at home providers will begin from 18 January to increase protection for those providing care and those receiving it. This will ensure Scotland’s 85,000 care at home providers have access to testing by the end of January.

A total of 13 proposals across 20 local council areas have been received by the Scottish Government as part of plans to expand community testing provision across the country and others will be coming on board shortly. Additional support is being provided for waste water testing which provides an additional source of data for the strategic targeting of community testing.

Locally-led Community Testing will continue to be supported through the national MTU fleet which is delivered by the Scottish Ambulance Service. In partnership with the UK Government, and through additional funding of £800,000 from the Scottish Government, this fleet will grow from 18 to 42 by March 2021 and will have the capacity to reach 84 communities.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said:

“These announcements represent a further important expansion of our testing system and will provide additional protection for our communities. Increased testing in this way will help us find and isolate more cases, by targeting resources with communities where there is high prevalence, helping us to identify more cases of the virus and giving us all a better chance of stopping the virus from spreading.

“But while testing is important, it is only one of the tools we have to prevent spread of the virus. A test only tells us if we are positive at the point in time that we are being tested. It does not mean that we can stop following all of the rules and guidelines which are in place. All these measures work to greatest effect when they work together."