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Officials from REHIS and the Food Standards Agency Scotland met in Edinburgh last week as part of their ongoing liaison to update each other on developments within their respective organisations; to discuss professional education, training and qualifications and, to discuss provision of community training courses in food hygiene, occupational health and safety and food and health across Scotland. Pictured left to right: Graham Walker, Lorna Murray, Val Cameron, George Paterson, Andrew Jamieson, Jim Thomson and Tom Bell.

EHiDE Newsletter.An update from the Gang of Six!

Last week both the REHIS Food Update Course and the annual REHIS Trainers Seminar took place in the Apex Hotel in Dundee. These proved to be popular events with 49 delegates attending the Food Update Course and 126 attending the Trainers Seminar. The Food Update Course focussed on control of Food Incidents, whereas the Trainers Seminar provided an up-date on new food safety and health and safety legislation and developments in the areas of food and health and safety. Both events held workshop sessions in the afternoon which were very well received by the delegates.

The Council of REHIS has agreed to move the Annual Conference from its current slot in November to the springtime. As a result there will be no Annual Conference this year but a free training event for members will be held in the Menzies Belford Hotel, Edinburgh on the morning of Thursday 22 November. The 2007 Annual General Meeting will be held at the same venue on the afternoon of Thursday 22 November. Formal notice will be sent to all members later in the year. Preparations for the 2008 Annual Conference are now underway and members will be advised of venue, dates and programme in due course.

This, the 26th Report of the Royal Commission published in March 2007, examines the environment within urban areas and the wider environmental impacts of towns and cities, and considers the relationship between the urban environment and human health and wellbeing. A summary of the findings of the Report follows.

The summit, held at Dunkeld on Wednesday 28 March 2007, organised by the Institute and hosted by the Food Standards Agency Scotland, was convened to facilitate an open discussion between partners, stakeholders and interested groups with a view to drafting a strategy, vision and action plan for future public/environmental health enforcement in Scotland.
Representatives from REHIS, the Agency,the Local Authority Unit of the Health and Safety Executive, the Scottish Executive, the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health, the University of Strathclyde, Health Protection Scotland and from a cross section of the Profession (public and private sectors) attended this fully participative and inter-active event. Unfortunately, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the University of Derby were not represented.
An action plan was agreed and fuller reports will follow on this website and in Environmental Health Scotland, the Journal of the Institute.

The Scottish Prison Service has made a huge financial investment at its HMP Edinburgh facility with the construction of a new production kitchen and a new training kitchen. Along with many other Scottish Prisons, HMP Edinburgh is an Approved Training Centre delivering REHIS courses on a regular basis for inmates and prison catering staff.
Following a recent tour of the training kitchen, Tom Bell, Chief Executive and Graham Walker, Director of Training took the opportunity to present Frank Greig, a successful course participant, with his REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate. Possession of this industry recognised qualification provides participants with the knowledge to help them to handle food safely and presents holders with an advantage when seeking employment in the catering and hospitality industry.
REHIS welcomes the investment in food safety training at HMP Edinburgh and is wholly supportive of the endeavours of the Governor and staff involved.

Pictured with Tom Bell and Frank Greig (seated) are, left to right, Dr Andrew Fraser(Head of Health and Care, Scottish Prison Service), John Buchan(Catering Manager),Graham Walker and Dan Gunn(Prison Governor).

Last week we were pleased to welcome the 15th Annual Public Health Forum to Edinburgh. This event, organised by the UK Public Health Association, is the largest multi-disciplinary Public Health conference in the UK. The conference allows public health professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds to come together, share experience and learn from each other. Key conference themes were health inequalities, sustainable development, anti-health forces and locally decided issues, such as public health economics.
REHIS was delighted to assist with the lunchtime drop-in surgeries on the UK Voluntary Register for Public Health Specialists. Pictured at the event are Val Cameron, Director of Professional Development and Evonne Tennant, REHIS council member with responsibility for public health matters.

Smoking Still Kills – The Scottish Coalition is dedicated to tobacco control and presents this manifesto outlining the next steps Scotland needs to take to reduce the harm caused by smoking.
REHIS is an active member of the coalition.

Seventy-five Environmental Health professionals, from thirty one local authorities across Scotland, came together in Edinburgh for a training seminar on the new skin piercing legislation.The seminar was organised in partnership with Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish Executive Health Department.Delegates gained an update on the amended legislation and a practical insight into skin piercing from representatives from the body piercing, tattooing and sterilisation industry.

Over 60 delegates from local authorities, Scottish Water, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Executive and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) operators attended the Odour Improvement Plan Training Seminar in Stirling last week.
This event, held in partnership with the Scottish Odour Steering Group, updated delegates on the current legal requirements regarding odour from waste water treatment works and the future developments in this field. The afternoon workshops allowed delegates to assess and discuss a variety of sample Odour Improvement Plans.

A further event, providing an overview of the Sewerage Nuisance Statutory Code of Practice, will be held by the REHIS Southern Centre on 26 March in Glasgow. This lunchtime seminar is aimed at members who wish to keep up-to-date with developments in environmental health.
See events page for more details on this event.

The annual REHIS Law Enforcement Course was presented last weekend at the Police College, Tulliallan.
Forty-three professionals from different backgrounds, including Environmental Health Officers, Technical Officers, Trading Standards Officers, Fish Health Inspectors and Fire Safety Managers attended this residential event.
This intensive course, for officers in specialist agencies involved in law enforcement, aims to provide the basic knowledge required by an enforcement officer to use best practice in reporting offences within the Scottish Legal System. The course culminated on Sunday in the court room, with the delegates participating in a mock trial with an actual Procurator Fiscal and defence lawyer.