Newsbrief
May 2007

Society News

Health News

Food Safety &
Nutrition

Events

Consultations

SOCIETY NEWS (3 items) 

1. SOCIETY LENDS SUPPORT TO WATER@WORK
As part of its long-standing collaboration with the Water for Health Alliance, The Society is now starting to work in close partnership with the water@work campaign, and will be helping the cause by producing a range of materials promoting the health benefits of good hydration in due course.  The campaign, which was launched at the end of January 2007, is led by UNISON and aims to improve the provision of mains-fed drinking water in the workplace.  To find out more, visit the campaign website.

2. SOCIETY FIGURES TO JUDGE THE HEALTH FOR KIDS AWARDS
The Society is also lending support to the Health for Kids Awards, with a number of our team acting as judges in various categories.  The inaugural Awards, which will be held on October 5 2007, were launched in association with the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills Healthy Schools Programme and Sport England, and set out to honour initiatives which promote healthy living to children.  Awards will be presented in categories such as Personal and Social Health, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Community Partnership.  For more details, visit the Health for Kids website.

3. MEMBER BENEFITS
Don't forget to check out RSPH Members' benefits online, including exclusive holiday deals with Thomas Cook (online here) and savings on telecoms charges through LCC Communications. Visit rsph.org/membership/membens.asp.
 

HEALTH NEWS (3 Items)

1.  MANY U.S. WOMEN SMOKING IN PREGNANCY
New research has been published which suggests that a high proportion of women in the United States smoke while pregnant, despite clear warnings of the health risks involved.  The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia, surveyed over 1,500 pregnant women over the age of 18, and found that 22 per cent of these women smoked and 10 per cent were nicotine dependent.  The research also found a significant association between cigarette use, nicotine dependence and the presence of mental disorders among pregnant women.  Dr Nora D Volkow from the National Institute on Drug Abuse said: 'There is an urgent need for outreach programmes to effectively deal with both nicotine addiction and mental health disorders in conjunction with prenatal care.'  Click here to view the abstract for this research.

2. CALL FOR 'FLAMMABLE' WARNINGS ON HEAD LICE LOTION
Campaigners are calling for 'Caution: Flammable' to be displayed by law on all bottles of head lice lotion after a Dorset teenager suffered horrific burns when the product ignited while on his hair.  The 15 year old had applied Hedrin lotion, which is silicon-based, to his head before going to play with a cigarette lighter, and ended up with severe burns and swelling on his face, ears, neck and arms when the product caught on fire.  The lotion - like many similar products on the market - does not carry a 'Caution: Flammable' warning.  Campaigners from the Bugbusting charity have written to the Medicine and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency asking for all potentially combustible products for head lice to be marked as flammable.  To view the newspaper article covering the incident, click here.

3. CHRONIC CONDITION SUFFERERS LACK LOCAL SUPPORT
People suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes often come up against a 'brick wall' when searching for information and support services within their community, according to a new study.  The Picker Institute consulted focus groups and carried out 'mystery shopping' exercises on charities, councils and primary care trusts, but found that often these official bodies lacked information or pointed patients and their carers in the wrong direction when they asked about available support services.  The researchers suggested that each health and social care region across England should set up a central team to handle requests.  To read the report click here.

 FOOD SAFETY & NUTRITION (1 item)

1. FSA ISSUES FOOD INCIDENTS GUIDANCE
Guidance for businesses and enforcement agencies on how to prevent and respond to food incidents has been issued by the Food Standards Agency.  The guidance offers step-by-step advice for food industry professionals with the aim of strengthening controls in the food chain and helping to prevent major food incidents.  The guidance has been developed by a special FSA task force, which was set up in the wake of 2005's Sudan I incident, which led to a mass recall of food products found to contain an illegal dye with carcinogenic properties.  To view the new guidance, click here.
 

EVENTS (4 items)

Preventing cervical cancer: A realistic goal?
Assorted dates and UK locations from May to September
This Royal Society of Medicine conference will review current methods of detection before considering the likelihood of preventing HPV infection plus the psychological and logistic aspects of such a policy. The meeting will be of interest to all those working in the fields of infectious disease and reproductive medicine.  The roadshow will be coming to Cardiff, Liverpool, Belfast, Exeter and Glasgow in the coming months; please email Sinem Gocmen for more information or click here to visit the RSM website

Safety and Health Expo 2007
22-24 May 2007, NEC Birmingham, UK
This exhibition, which is Europe's largest annual health and safety event, will feature over 320 exhibitors showcasing new products and services and offering independent advice.  The event will also be playing host to, among others, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) Product Innovation Awards, a disaster response simulator and a Directors' Health and Safety Responsibilities conference organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Please visit the exhibition website for more details and to register.

Faculty of Public Health Annual Conference
26-28 June 2007, Devonshire Park Centre, Eastbourne, UK
This year’s Faculty conference takes the theme ‘Making Public Health Work’ and is expected to attract 400 public health professionals from across the UK and abroad.  The broad scope of the conference programme will cover health improvement, health protection and service improvement.  The conference will also feature the RSH’s annual lecture, which is being delivered this year by Sir David King, the Government’s chief scientific adviser.  For more information and to register, please visit the conference website.

Managing Care Homes for the Elderly: Essential legal, policy and practice update
27 June 2007, Church House, London, UK
This one-day conference has been organised by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and specially tailored for care home professionals.  Attendees will be given updates on policy developments and new legislation, such as the imminent smoking ban, and given a general overview of how to raise and maintain food safety and health and safety standards within care homes.  Issues to be covered include nutrition, partnership working, home inspections and diabetes care, and key speakers from organisations such as Help the Aged, the Food Standards Agency and the National Care Association are already confirmed.  Please click here for more information.
 

Please visit rsph.org for more events listings

CONSULTATIONS

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