Environmental Health Departments hit by budget cuts

According to a new survey from the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health's journal EHN, environmental health departments are suffering as a result of budget cuts.

The survey revealed that environmental health departments have lost two full-time, front-line staff members on average over the last six months, as a direct result of the cuts.

Twenty-five councils reported that they have either already lost environmental health staff, are expecting to do so, or are to have a recruitment freeze. Many environmental health departments said that posts had been left vacant following the departure of a staff member.

Thirty-five environmental health jobs were found to be 'at risk' at one council as a result of plans to merge environmental health duties with those covered by the trading standards department. Seven local councils across Worcestershire are also planning to merge their environmental health departments with trading standards and licensing sectors, slashing jobs from 165 to 120.

A Worcestershire Environmental Health Officer said, “With people leaving, redundancies, stress and briefings about the new service, the current work patterns have been disrupted. I don’t think anyone has spoken about or recorded the stress this has placed on those involved. Several people have suffered stress-related symptoms.

Those of us who consider we have provided a good service to our duty holders cannot imagine how we can continue to protect the health and wellbeing of residents and employees within our districts with this new regime,” he added.