EHJ March 2005, pages 20-21

In the second article in the series "leading environmental health into the future", CIEH director of communication and membership services Michael Dunmore looks to 2005 and beyond

The response we have had from members attending the road shows has been overwhelmingly positive. The CIEH recognises its strength lies with the membership and furthering members' professional development and influence at local, regional and national level.

One of the messages we have been putting across in all the presentations is that we need members' active participation in this process. For the CIEH to successfully lobby government, it needs policy founded on a sound evidence base. To build this we need members' input.

In 2002, CIEH director for Northern Ireland Gary McFarlane, with Northern Irish colleagues, organised a conference in Belfast for elected members - where EHPs presented case studies of good practice on issues such as antisocial behaviour and health action zones. The purpose of the event was to highlight the diversity and quality of work carried out by EHPs and the benefits they can bring to the wider community. It is from events like this that the CIEH can promote its members' valuable work to a wider audience and influence policy.

This is a model the CIEH would like to roll out nationally. During 2005 the communication and membership services aims to begin the development of a network of EHP members to co-ordinate the exchange of good practice to and from the CIEH with colleagues on the ground. In return, we would like to develop a series of aims to commence training in media relations, as well as presentation and influencing skills. While this initiative is at an early stage of consideration, one option is to approach new professionals to carry out this work. Asking new EHPs to participate in the network could provide them with career building skills and enable them to raise their profile in their area of work.

The CIEH recognises the important contribution that its young members make and the need to attract more people into the profession. At the end of March the CIEH will launch a new website, aimed specifically at 14-19 year-olds, to try and interest them in a career in environmental health. We will also be embarking on a promotional campaign targeting career advisers to cascade this information to students.

Additionally, this year, we will carry out research to see how environmental health students perceive the CIEH and what influences their choice in career. The results will be compared with research into students taking parallel courses in food hygiene and health and safety to consider if we should approach pupils studying similar disciplines to become members.

During the coming months the communication and membership services team will continue to promote and support CIEH policy through local, regional, and national campaigns. Throughout 2005 a number of campaigns will be launched at all levels. For instance, on a regional basis we will be supporting CIEH director for Wales, Julie Barratt and Welsh local authorities, in their promotion of skin cancer awareness in schools. Nationally, we will continue to lobby on banning smoking in public places and in the workplace.

Building on the success of our previous national media campaigns we also plan to raise awareness of public health concerns. For example: nutrition, obesity, and the trade in illegal meat.

Public health remains high on the political agenda. From the road shows, we have found members would like to find out more about the structural changes taking place in public health and how they can gain access to health agencies and primary care trusts to develop their careers.

The President's Commission will set the scene for more lobbying later this year. The commission will have a profound influence on the way environmental health is delivered within local and regional government.

Our communication and membership services team has also carried out a preliminary study looking at ways to improve navigation and access to information on the CIEH website. A complete redesign of the website will be achieved by the end of the year. Plans to improve the functionality of the site, and the way web-delivered services are made available, is planned for a later date. After working with the CIEH centres to develop regional websites, we will be encouraging members to contribute case studies of good practice so this information can be shared with other members of the profession.

Chadwick House Group Limited managing director Andrew Phillips explains what the charity's commercial arm is doing to raise the profession's profile

As the charity's business arm, CHGL's main role is to communicate the CIEH's mission, primarily to businesses and the general public. CHGL does this through its three divisions - training, publishing and events.

CHGL's role is to promote the CIEH through the provision of accredited training, magazines, guides and books and the running of events across all areas of environmental and public health. The company already offers a wide range of courses covering food hygiene, health and safety and environmental protection and over the next 12 months has plans to develop brand new products in new areas. CHGL produces courses in a wide range of languages to reflect the growing ethnic diversity of employees in the food industry, which not only helps to improve food handlers' knowledge but also contributes to reducing food poisoning cases.

The events division helps bring EHPs and trainers up-to-date with legislation, supplying the right knowledge at the right time so they can make the right decisions. By staging national events on issues such as antisocial behaviour, the Housing Act and animal welfare, the company raises the profession's profile among policy makers and pushes environmental health issues up the political agenda. Our 6,000+ trainers will appreciate a special conference devoted especially to them later this year.

To fulfil the charity's mission, CHGL also promotes environmental health through its publications. The company-produced magazines not only inform the membership of important developments but are also targeted at government agencies and help raise awareness of environmental and public health issues. They also publicise the broad range of areas where EHPs work and contribute their skills.

The company's strategy of incremental innovation is well demonstrated by the launch of Public Health News, warmly received by members and partner organisations alike. Its development reflects EHPs' growing involvement in the public health agenda. New magazine titles are planned. The continued success of our publications also feeds back into CHGL's overall role in supporting CIEH. Every penny made by the three company divisions is reinvested back into the charity.

This support enables the charity to carry out its key activities, whether it is supporting staff at HQ to formulate and execute policy or lobbying government for change in legislation or increased funding