Download REHIS Journal 20/2 (Summer 2008) - The Royal ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Environmental Health Scotlandby Colin Wallace, Committee ChairmanManagement CommitteeEric Foskett AwardThe Committee was delighted to note that JohnStirling had been awarded the InternationalFederation of Environmental Health’s Eric FoskettAward for Notable Contribution to the Work of theFederation. In view of this well-deserved honour,the Committee agreed that John would also beinvited to represent the Institute at the next EuropeanFederation of Environmental Health meeting in Maltato receive his award from Bernard Forteath, in hiscapacity as IFEH President.Public Relations and Media Services ContractFollowing consideration of tenders for the Institute’sPublic Relations and Media Services contract,Vic Rodrick has been appointed. The contract is notscheduled to come into force until October 2008,however, early meetings are planned to discuss someinteresting publicity opportunities. On behalf of theManagement Committee, I would like to record myappreciation and thanks to Gerry Davis of DavisMedia (see page 25) who has represented and servedthe Institute well during his time with us.25th Annual ConferenceThe 25th Annual Conference held in Edinburgh on17 and 18 April 2008 has been very well received.My thanks are due to the Institute’s staff for theirpreparation, support and hard work that went intoensuring the event ran smoothly and successfully.Feedback from the conference indicates that thediversity and quality of presentations was of a highstandard and that the conference dinner had been athoroughly enjoyable event.In his report to the Management Committee thePresident also paid tribute to all involved in makingthis year’s conference an outstanding success butexpressed surprise and aggravation at the statementmade by a CoSLA representative in response to apress briefing relating to his Presidential Address atconference. The Chief Executive will write to theCoSLA Chief Executive requesting that a meeting bearranged involving both organisations’ Presidents andChief Executives.Annual General Meeting 2008The Committee is now looking at the arrangementsfor the Annual General Meeting in November 2008.Following on from last year’s successful approach,it has been agreed to run the Annual Presentation ofAwards on the evening of Wednesday 19 Novemberfollowed on Thursday 20 November by the AnnualGeneral Meeting and a ‘free to members’ ContinuingProfessional Development event.Scottish Government Short Life Working GroupSteady progress in relation to the promotion ofREHIS is being made by the Scottish GovernmentShort Life Working Group on the Future of theEnvironmental Health Profession in Scotland.Childcare Support at Institute MeetingsA remit from the Council with regard to considerationof assistance towards childcare support in relationto attendance at Institute meetings was considered,however, it was felt that there did not appear to bea pressing demand at this time. Nevertheless, if thiswas a particular issue for any member it could beconsidered on its own merit.Staffing Changes at the Institute’s OfficeThere is a new member of staff at 3 Manor Place.Aileen Sweetman has been appointed to a part-timeAdministrative Assistant post. Also, Cará Weston hasbeen appointed to the part-time post of Assistant tothe Director of Professional Development. Cará willstill also continue with her main duties as AccountsAdministrator.Special Strategic Review MeetingEvery three years the Institute holds a special strategicreview meeting. It was agreed to arrange this oncompletion of the Minister for Public Health’s ShortLife Working Group and possibly in November2008. The review meeting will comprise membersof the Management Committee and the Councilrepresentatives to the working groups.Environmental Protection UK - EU Air QualityDirectiveThe Committee agreed to support the EnvironmentalProtection UK initiative calling on the Governmentto commit to the UK’s full compliance with the newEU Air Quality Directive.
Environmental Health ScotlandProfessional Conduct and Discipline for CorporateMembers who are Environmental Health Officersby John FraterIn the Autumn 2007 issue of Environmental HealthScotland (Volume 19, Number 3) I mentioned thatthe Council has now adopted Regulations as toProfessional Conduct and Discipline and a Code ofDisciplinary Procedures for Corporate Members whoare Environmental Health Officers. I thought that itmight be helpful to take a look at the background tothe regulations and code and the process by which theywere adopted by the Institute.As, in so many matters with REHIS, the Institute’shistory is an important factor. REHIS can trace itsorigins to the formation of The Sanitary Inspectors’Association of Scotland in 1875. The Association wasrenamed The Sanitary Association of Scotland in 1878.The Association had a membership which was eagerto improve sanitary conditions in Scotland. One of theways it went about this was by training and education,and the award of qualifications. The earliest survivingrecord of these activities is the award of the Certificatein Sanitary Science to John McInnes, an ‘Inspector ofthe Poor’ from Glasgow, in 1890.It is probably fair to say that a high proportion of theAssociation’s members at this time were well-to-dosocial reformers. Certainly, when the Associationhad its conference in Inverness in 1905, the HighlandRailway struggled to provide enough first classcarriages available to make up a special trainto Strathpeffer for the delegates. Perhaps theAssociation’s membership did not include thosewho travelled third class! Yes, in these heady daysStrathpeffer had its own station, at the end of a shortbranch line from Fodderty Junction, to the west ofDingwall on the railway to Kyle of Lochalsh.The number of members of this type, rather thanwhat we would now know as environmental healthprofessionals, was probably the reason for the formationof The Sanitary Inspectors’ Association of Scotland in1891. This was a separate organisation, but, confusingly,took the same name as the Sanitary Association ofScotland had originally used. As far as I can tell,membership of this organisation was for SanitaryInspectors. The Sanitary Inspectors’ Associationappears to have seen itself as representing theprofession, but, very importantly, did not controlentry to the profession. Examinations and qualificationsremained under the control of The SanitaryAssociation of Scotland.Moving from the final decade of the 19th centuryto the final decade of the 20th, the situation wasfundamentally the same as that which applied toThe Sanitary Association of Scotland one hundredyears before. REHIS, which was formed in 1983 by amerger of the successor organisations to TheSanitary Association of Scotland and The SanitaryInspectors’ Association of Scotland, remained amembership organisation, with Environmental HealthOfficer (EHO) and non-EHO Corporate membershipcategories, which sought to provide a benefit tothe community by promoting the advancement ofEnvironmental Health. Along the way, it had beengranted the very great privilege to include ‘Royal’ inits name and it had become a charity. Unlike manypurely professional bodies which had sprung upduring the intervening years, REHIS existed toprovide a benefit to the community, rather to promotethe interests of a profession. This is a fundamentaldifference; expressed in Scottish charity terminology,the Institute endeavours to provide a public benefit,rather than a private benefit.REHIS was, until 2001, incorporated as a companylimited by guarantee, which is a normal method ofincorporation for a reasonably large membershipbasedorganisation or charity. Within the UnitedKingdom, by the end of the 20th century, most of theorganisations awarding professional qualifications wereincorporated by Royal Charter. By this time, theEuropean Union was involved with professionalqualifications because of its Directive on thematter, incorporated into UK law by The EuropeanCommunities (Recognition of ProfessionalQualifications) Regulations 1991, and there appearedto be a growing view that, to be a ‘CompetentAuthority’ under these regulations, incorporation byRoyal Charter would be likely to be required.REHIS decided to safeguard its position as anawarding body for professional qualificationsby petitioning for a Royal Charter. It also hopedto be able to offer the designation of ‘CharteredEnvironmental Health Officer’ to certain of
Page 2 and 3: Environmental Health ScotlandThe Ro
Page 4 and 5: Environmental Health ScotlandTHE CH
Page 7: Environmental Health Scotlandworkin
Page 11 and 12: Environmental Health ScotlandThe In
Page 13 and 14: Environmental Health Scotlandby Dr
Page 15 and 16: Environmental Health ScotlandGroups
Page 17 and 18: Environmental Health ScotlandIf the
Page 19 and 20: Environmental Health Scotlandwithin
Page 21 and 22: Environmental Health ScotlandANNual
Page 23 and 24: Environmental Health ScotlandHealth
Page 25 and 26: Environmental Health Scotlandand Gl
Page 27 and 28: Environmental Health ScotlandScotti
Page 29 and 30: Environmental Health ScotlandRobert
Page 31 and 32: Environmental Health ScotlandPublic
Page 33 and 34: Environmental Health ScotlandScotti
Page 35 and 36: Environmental Health ScotlandSEPA N
Page 37 and 38: Environmental Health Scotlandby Tom
Page 39 and 40: Environmental Health ScotlandThe Ro

Download REHIS Journal 20/2 (Summer 2008) - The Royal ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?