Out and about with Louise: it’s all about partnerships (part 1)

We have all kept our feet on the gas over August and I am continuing to meet members locally, across the nations and internationally.

It is still early days and I continue to be totally inspired by the efforts of our internal teams and volunteer members who are working closely together. All of this is communicated as part of our communications strategy to support our dedicated members in a range of sectors. As exam results were released we ran a well-received campaign aimed at encouraging school leavers to consider EH as a first career which meant my first appearance on TikTok! 

Advisory Panels 

CIEH Advisory Panels were created about 18 months ago and volunteer members share advice and expertise with our policy team which we use to consider policy direction. Our internal policy team have experience and expertise in working with politicians, navigating media requests and public relations. When this is combined with the passion and ideas from CIEH volunteer members we have the ability to reach more people, influence those people and ultimately save more lives. No two members have the same perspective so navigating the interconnected ecosystem of Environmental Health means no two days are ever the same. 

By creating a clear structure, and organising panels with volunteers who represent our membership locally, nationally and internationally, across the career journey, we can do more than we have before. Over the last month, I have been working on a comprehensive Terms of Reference document which will empower and enable our members to be the change they want to see with a coordinated approach. This forms an important foundation for the work we do at CIEH from which our internal teams can react to issues on the ground as they happen, establish topics for conferences, create tools for EHPs and be the influential thought leaders looking into the future we all aspire to be. The panels are crucial to creating the golden thread of member engagement defined by good governance pathways in a manner that CIEH as an institution can financially support. We are going to take our time to establish this new approach which creates opportunities for advisory member volunteers to support advocacy work, learn how to talk about CIEH key messages and be the face of the work we all care about.  

Over the summer I wrote about this work in the latest edition of Environmental Health News, which members will receive this week, and we will be featuring panel outputs in future editions.  

World Environmental Health Day 

 This year World Environmental Health Day is on 26 September and the theme is 'Global environmental public health: standing up to protect everyone's health each and every day'. We are keen to hear member stories which we can showcase, especially related to this global theme which aligns with our key messaging that environmental health does not stop at our borders.

We will be working with global colleagues moving forward to ensure environmental health approaches are considered as we jointly campaign for a new approach to how we do business. This is an area of work I have been involved in for some time and the global network here is keen to learn about what we do as EHPs. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed content for World Environmental Health Day. If you would like to contribute, please drop a line to [email protected] before 15 September and they can send over a brief.  

Governance 

All of my previous experience in establishing good governance pathways in other organisations is being put to the test here at CIEH. Over the last month, I presented details of the work from the directorate to the Member, Learning and the Profession Advisory Group which recommends decisions to the Board. One of our new Trustees joined the discussions. CIEH internal teams presented and we discussed the work being undertaken by the membership and professional development team to strengthen pathways into the profession.

As we consult on the route to becoming a Chartered EHP we talked about the routes into the profession and progression. Here, I answered questions regarding the approach we are taking to create the Advisory Panels and future local networks. I also attended the Risk and Audit Committee alongside other members of the Executive team. This is where we examine corporate risk which covers all aspects from finance to decision-making processes to our people. And, of course, I always attend our Board meetings which are currently providing an opportunity to get to know new Trustees as they settle into their roles. I supported Chief Executive Dr Phil James at a trustee induction which was a great opportunity to reflect on the important legal responsibilities individuals on the Board hold to ensure the long-term sustainable success of the institute. 

We have all been working hard to support the organisation for our September AGM too and I am looking forward to meeting members here in person and online. We currently have openings for members and non-member volunteers to support our governance structure. This is a great way to understand how boards operate.  

This has been a challenging time for CIEH and I continue to be inspired by the focus and professionalism of our teams inside CIEH and the work of our active supportive volunteers in the Advisory Panels, the governance structure and supporting the mentoring programs. This is a positive way to be involved and shape the direction of CIEH, learn new skills and be the change we all want to see to create safer, cleaner, healthier environments for everyone. We continue to put people front and centre, both within work and across our communities locally, nationally and internationally. We can never know how the interventions we make will potentially change a life and it begins with just one conversation at a time.