Health and Safety Update
- 12 November 2019
The REHIS annual health and safety update, hosted by Lisa McCann, was held on Tuesday 17 September in Edinburgh, offering an ideal opportunity for professionals to increase their knowledge on current topical health and safety at work matters and was a very well received event. Health and Safety Executive representatives Alex Tsavalos and Frances Kelly […]
Lyme disease app launched
- 6 November 2019
A demonstration version of the new LymeApp has been launched at an event in Inverness. It has been created to map where ticks bites and Lyme disease have been detected. The £1.1 million project will allow members of the public to report tick sightings and bites and help scientists monitor cases of Lyme disease. Developed by […]
Public Health Specialist recruitment
- 6 November 2019
Applications are invited for approximately 70 vacancies in the Public Health training programme across England, Scotland and Wales. Consultants in Public Health serve the population, whether they are working for a rural community, a large city or the entire national population. The principles remain the same: prevention of ill health, promotion of healthy life styles […]
Preparing for Brexit: an Environmental Health Overview
- 22 October 2019
An initial news article was published by REHIS in March 2019 regarding preparing for Brexit with an environmental overview. This news article aims to provide an update. A Brexit deal has been agreed but needs to be ratified. The UK could still leave the EU with no deal on 31 October if the UK and […]
World Environmental Health Day
- 22 October 2019
26 September marked World Environmental Health Day (WEHD) which has been celebrated every year since 2011. This year’s theme of “Climate change challenges, time for global Environmental Health to act in unison” aimed to draw attention to the affect’s climate change is having on vulnerable communities and how environmental health professionals play a vital role […]
Majority of Scots want tougher control on fireworks
- 21 October 2019
A clear majority of Scots want to see tighter controls on the use and sale of fireworks. A YouGov survey commissioned by the Scottish Government and involving a representative sample of the Scottish population, showed 71% of adults supported tighter controls on the sale of fireworks to the public, with over half backing a ban. […]
Smoking ban proposals
- 21 October 2019
A consultation on the introduction of a legally enforceable no-smoking area around hospital buildings has launched. Although the introduction of no-smoking areas, fines and penalties for smoking or permitting others to smoke outside hospital buildings are now in law, the size and placing of no-smoking areas and the wording of signs has still to be set […]
Scottish emissions of air pollutants 2017
- 21 October 2019
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has announced the publication of a report on emissions of air pollutants in 2017. The main findings are: since 1990 there have been reductions in emissions for all pollutants, with decreases of 15 per cent for ammonia, 63 per cent for PM10, 65 per cent for NMVOCs, 68 per cent for PM2.5, […]
Scotland bans plastic stemmed cotton buds
- 16 October 2019
Scotland has become the first country in the UK to ban the sale and manufacture of plastic-stemmed cotton buds as part of attempts to reduce single use plastics. Most major retailers switched to paper-stemmed buds in the months leading up to the ban following a campaign. A similar ban – also including plastic coffee stirrers […]
Minimum Unit Pricing has modest impact on the alcohol industry in Scotland
- 16 October 2019
The introduction of minimum pricing for alcohol has had a modest economic impact on the drinks industry in Scotland, a report has found. The report, commissioned by NHS Health Scotland is part of a wide-ranging evaluation of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 which established Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). In an initial assessment of the […]
Scottish government confirm no support for fracking
- 9 October 2019
The Scottish Government has set out a finalised policy of no support for the development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) sometimes known as “fracking” in Scotland. This means the Scottish Government will not issue licences for new UOG development, and that Scotland’s planning framework will not support development using unconventional oil and gas extraction […]
Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland
- 7 October 2019
by Jill Sunter, Health Promotion Officer, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership Breastfeeding is really important to the health of both mother and baby, yet Scotland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. While many new mums start breastfeeding, some will stop within a few months. This is often because they feel there […]
