It is hoped that this agreement, signed by the bodies representing EHOs in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and in Australia, could be used as a blueprint for similar Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) between other countries and help tackle the workforce challenges in environmental health on an international level.

The presidents of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Environmental Health Australia (EHA) signed an MoU, which develops a clear pathway for EHOs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be able to practice in Australia and vice versa.

According to the press statement, environmental health is one of the hardest professional roles to fill in the four countries, with many vacancies remaining open for months, and the chronic shortage of EHOs is causing concern for the future of public health protection as a result.

CIEH President Mark Elliott and EHA President Melissa Burn signed the agreement following the culmination of many years of negotiation and mapping of competencies between the countries.

Elliott said: “We hope this agreement will open up doors and remove barriers for EHOs, should they wish to relocate, to utilise their wide armoury of skills and knowledge for the benefit of communities in our countries and help boost under pressure environmental health workforces.”

Thomas Atkinson, head of public sector at specialist environmental and public health recruiter Osborne Richardson, told Recruiter: “We welcome this move by the CIEH, as every effort possible has to be made to address the skills shortage in the UK.”

He added: “Unfortunately, in the past we have struggled to place those from Australia into roles in the UK but this agreement should pave the way for us to successfully help our clients address the gaps in their workforce. Having a branch based in Australia will prove a huge advantage in being able to assist each other in sourcing the skills our clients desperately require.”

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