Professional Standards Framework: completion of phase one consultation

One of our major pieces of work this year is a review of our Professional Standards Framework.

This is the set of competencies which underpin how we accredit our Environmental Health BSc, MSc and BSc Apprenticeship courses. 

Phase one of the review commenced earlier this year, with a series of online stakeholder meetings, which included:

• Academics from accredited Universities
• All six of our Advisory Panels
• Employer groups such as Environmental Health England (formerly ACEHO), EH Wales and EHNI
• Two open meetings for members

As well as the meetings, we promoted an online survey for interested parties to contribute their feedback on the framework and related issues.

The aim of this first phase was to gain as much general feedback as possible on the framework, how it could be improved - and what future challenges the next generations of EHOs need to be equipped to deal with.

Phase one concluded on 31 July.

As expected, contributors had a great deal to say about the framework specifically and the future of the profession generally. This data is in the process of being compiled for discussion by the review group, which is subgroup of our Membership, Profession and Policy Advisory Group (MPPAG). The review group consists of Dr Zena Lynch, Rob Easton, Jonathan Hayes and Natalie Pearce – so thanks to them for all their work up to this point!

At this early stage, I am able to say:

• 146 people answered the online survey
• 94% of respondents agreed that the subheadings in the framework adequately or partially described the broad technical disciplines within environmental health
• 93% of respondents agreed that the functional statements and competencies were a useful or partially useful model for the way they operated professionally
• 71% of respondents worked in local government, with 7% in other public sector roles and 7% in the private sector

The real value of the survey is in the “free text” answers where respondents were invited to comment in detail on the competencies in the framework and how they could be improved. My initial impression is that these also resonate with the wide-ranging conversations we had in the online consultation meetings too. There is a wealth of material amongst these contributions, and it will take time for the review group to digest all this and form a view about how your inputs can be included in a refreshed framework.

Naturally, many of you also took the opportunity to contribute your thoughts on other issues and it was striking how often two main themes cropped up throughout phase one. The first of these was understandably the shortage of qualified EHOs leading to difficulties with recruitment. The Board of Trustees has identified workforce as a key strategic priority and there is another workstream dedicated to this. The second theme was the desire from some members for greater clarity on professional development following initial Registration as an EHP. MPPAG and the Board will need to consider this and how this might be included in future workplans.

As with our recent consultations on chartered status and the Environmental Health Practitioner portfolio, the information gathering of phase one will be followed by phase two of the PSF review. In this phase, stakeholders will be provided with a fuller overview of the responses to phase one and invited to comment on a draft revised framework. We are planning for phase two to commence in Q4 2025, so watch out for that.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey or attend the consultation meetings, it has been very thought provoking and useful.