REHIS News

Councils will be given powers to ensure short-term lets are safe and meet the needs of their local communities under legislation laid before the Scottish Parliament.

Under the legislation, all local authorities will be required to establish a short-term lets licensing scheme by October 2022. Existing hosts and operators will have until 1 April 2023 to apply for a licence for each property that they operate as a short-term let. All short-term lets in Scotland will have to be licensed by 1 July 2024.

Food Standards Scotland have launched a new marketing campaign aimed at helping people reduce their risk of food poisoning at Christmas.

There’s always a lot going on at this time of year and it’s easy to forget some of the things you need to do to prepare food safely.

As part of the campaign, FSS have created a checklist to remind people of some easy food safety practices that they can use over the Christmas period.

As you are aware, during these unprecedented times the need for new research and development is crucial. NHS SHARE, the Scottish Health Research Register and Biobank, is an NHS Scotland resource which aids medical research projects through both participant recruitment and a bio resource of surplus bloods.

NHS SHARE assists research studies such as those investigating Covid-19, dementia, cancer, stroke, diabetes and mental health issues. The register currently holds over 290,000 volunteers but needs more to continue to improve research.

The Institute’s Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 19 November at the Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline with over seventy members attending, some in person and others via MS Teams.  Prior to the AGM was the Institute’s annual Environmental Health Update where Lisa McCann gave her Presidential Report reflecting on the previous two years in her role as President.

The President’s Award is presented annually to an individual or organisation who has significantly contributed to the improvement and protection of health and well-being in Scotland through their activities in the Institute’s Community Training. This year, the worthy recipients are Edinburgh Community Food for the work they do as a REHIS Approved Training Centre delivering cooking skills, food hygiene and food and health courses to the community of Edinburgh and beyond.  

 The name Bernard Forteath is synonymous with high standards of professionalism in Environmental Health practice; with positive and proven leadership and delivery of the Environmental Health service within the local authority sector in Scotland; with wholehearted dedication to the important work of the Institute; and with diplomacy and constructive contribution to the world of international Environmental Health.
 

People attending venues covered by Scotland's COVID certification scheme are to be given the option of providing a recent negative lateral flow test for the virus, as an alternative to proof of vaccination.

It means that individuals who received a vaccine not recognised by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), or have experienced difficulty accessing their vaccination record, will be able to attend venues covered by the scheme.

Heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to heat their premises for less, while also reducing their carbon footprint. 

Reckitt, as the hygiene partner at COP26 was responsible for providing product and protocols for the hygiene interventions at this huge event, with an area spanning the size of 30 football pitches, and hosting over 26,000 delegates for 14 days. 

A team of 20 scientists from disciplines of virology, microbiology, chemistry, public health and behavioural science agreed the protocols for the event based on Targeted Hygiene principles. This was endorsed by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

By Helen Main (Main Course Training)