REHIS News

Dr Tracy Morse, Honorary Vice-President of the Institute, has returned from Malawi and is now based back in Scotland. Tracy has taken up the position as Head of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Strathclyde University. Tracy will be continuing the research work in Malawi and also with her teaching. Tracy is very keen that Strathclyde University continues to work with the Environmental Health profession in areas of research and teaching which tackle Environmental Health issues.

Scottish Licensing Courses

The Institute has been working with the Scottish Government, People 1st, the SQA and other awarding bodies to review the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) and Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (Refresher) (SCPLHR) qualifications.  

As a result of this, the Institute is delighted to announce that from 1 December 2020, Approved Training Centres can apply to the Institute to offer these courses. 

The President was delighted to announce, at the recent Annual General Meeting, that Honorary Membership has been conferred on Tom Bell in recognition for the many years Tom has committed and contributed to the field of Environmental Health.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance has recently been updated.

The changes include updates to the frequently asked questions page and amendment to amusements in games in hospitality statutory guidance section.

The Institute’s Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 20 November and for the first time in the history of the Institute it was held virtually as a result of COVID-19. Lisa McCann, elected President welcomed fifty-nine members to the virtual meeting where she give an interesting Presidential Report and the election of the 2020/21 Council took place. Thank you to all those who were able to attend.

Current members of the Council can be found here.

On Friday 20 November at the Environmental Health Update, the Annual Presentation of Awards was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been asked to lead a study addressing the transmission of COVID-19 in the environment, including in workplaces, transport and other public settings.

The Food Standards Agency has launched a consultation on the Review of the Food Law Code of Practice (England).

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting small and medium-sized Scottish businesses to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. Its interest-free SME Loan Scheme has already provided Scottish businesses with over £26 million in loans for over 1,000 energy saving projects. 

Now, for a limited time only, businesses using the interest-free loan can also grab a cashback grant of up to £20,000.

ASH Scotland is presenting an online Learning Festival with the Scottish Tobacco-free Alliance, in the week beginning Monday 30th November. The SCOT coalition keeps a focus on joining up on intelligence and influence, while the STA majors on information sharing and cross sectoral networking – both networks offer free membership and these online events are free to join, you’ll find programme and registration details here.