REHIS News

Scotland is aiming to be a world leader in improving the public’s health, through a new vision for organisations and communities across the country.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly published public health priorities for Scotland, aimed at focussing action across the public sector and voluntary sector and in communities. The priorities are the first milestone in a wider reform of public health.

Analysis from Churchill Home Insurance reveals that 118 calls a day are being made about statutory nuisances across Scotland.

An interesting journal article has been published by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh focusing on developments of public health in the last 50 years from a personal perspective.

Scotland has met its statutory annual climate change target for the third year running, after achieving a 49% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest figures, which are calculated against a 1990 baseline, show the country is set to exceed its current 2020 climate change target and continues to outperform the UK as a whole.

The REHIS Award for Meritorious Endeavours in Environmental Health 2018 will be presented to Professor Kofi Aidoo at the Institute’s Annual Awards Ceremony in Edinburgh on 15 November. At this event the REHIS President’s Award will be presented to The Cyrenians for their Good Food Programme. The Council of the Institute offers its sincere congratulations to the recipients of both awards.

World Environmental Health Day was launched by the IFEH Council at its meeting in Indonesia on the 26 September 2011. Every year since 2011 this date has been earmarked to celebrate as World Environmental Health Day with a particular theme celebrating an environmental health issue Worldwide. 

Environmental Health Officers (EHO) from Aberdeen City Council expressed "serious concerns" over the safety of the food being served at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Aberdeen City after they visited the premises on 8 February.

The EHOs found that staff at the DoubleTree by Hilton Aberdeen City Centre hotel were deliberately relabelling food to extend its shelf life and also falsifying delivery records.

ASH Scotland, the national charity tackling smoking and health, has won a major international award on World No Tobacco Day (31 May 2018) for its work improving Scotland's health.

The World No Tobacco Day Award is given by the World Health Organization to a select few groups each year. ASH Scotland has received it following decades of work advocating a Scotland free of the harm and inequality caused by smoking. Other winners in 2018 include the British Heart Foundation.

The Food Hygiene Game, a training resource approved by REHIS, which we originally reported on in an article in Januaryhas made its way to Tonga.

Focus Games, the developer of the game, donated three free games to the REHIS president and IEHF representatives to take to the 15th World Congress on Environmental Health in Auckland, New Zealand in March 2018. 

Experts from retail, the waste and chemical industries, the public sector and academia have joined a Scottish Government panel tackling plastic pollution.

The government has also appointed current Electoral Commissioner Dame Sue Bruce as chair of the Expert Panel on Environmental Charges and Other Measures, a group that will provide advice on dealing with disposable cups and plastic straws.