Home | Archive | Weekly | Reports

Weekly news - 18th September 2026

 

In date order, Monday to Friday

Addiction recovery walk to bring thousands to city

Exactly one year ago, Steve Rowe was stuck at home with "nothing to fill my day up apart from drinking", he says. Fast forward 12 months, he's helping to organise a charity walk for 4,000 people who have been impacted by drug and alcohol addiction | BBC, UK

Smokefree generation communications toolkit

On 1st January 2027 the UK will become only the second country in the world to introduce a ‘smokefree generation’ by continuously raising the age of sale for tobacco. This communications toolkit contains resources to help you maximise the opportunity that this presents for the benefit of public health and play your part to ensure it is a success | ASH, UK

Experiences of MAT standards implementation for people who use cocaine and crack

Scotland has adopted national standards on drug-based treatment of problem substance use. What difference have they made in relation to their cocaine use for opioid-dependent patients being prescribed methadone or buprenorphine? | SDF, UK

Digital ID comes of age as pubs and bars get go-ahead for biometric scan tech

New laws coming into force this week aim to streamline age checks although old-style plastic IDs will still be allowed | Guardian, UK

Cuts hinder crackdown on vape sales to children

A senior official has warned that years of budget cuts and austerity have left trading standards enforcement officers unable to effectively stop retailers selling vapes to children | BBC, UK

Which types of research and knowledge translation are most likely to lead to public health-informed policy responses to unhealthy commodities? A UK-based cross-sectional survey and focus group-based study

[Open access] Products of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) are major drivers of non-communicable diseases. The role of evidence in supporting regulation of these products remains underexplored. This study examined how different types of research and knowledge translation activities influenced policy change across unhealthy commodities | BMJ Public Health, UK

Evaluation examines impact of Residential Rehabilitation programme across Scotland: news story

Between financial years 2019/20 and 2025/26, the number of Scottish residents starting a residential rehab placement, funded publicly or privately, increased by around 60%. The number of publicly funded placements more than doubled. The Scottish Government target for 1,000 people in Scotland to have a publicly funded residential rehabilitation placement by 2026 was met | Public Health Scotland, UK

Health Under Influence: The Industry Playbook Behind Scotland’s Preventable Health Harms (PDF)

This guide has been developed to support MSPs, and those involved in shaping public health policy, in understanding how commercial actors can seek to influence public health policy. It provides practical insights to inform day-to-day engagement with industry representatives, while encouraging broader reflection on how commercial interests can shape Scotland’s public health landscape | NCD Alliance, UK

Scotland fans allowed to buy alcohol at upcoming games

A ban is usually in place in Scottish football but trial alcohol sales have been taking place recently, including for the national team's friendlies against Japan and Curaçao earlier this year | BBC, UK

Sign up for an Open Houses event

Open Houses is a national campaign in England to improve access to residential treatment services. We are extending an invitation to visit rehab centres and see recovery in action. It’s an opportunity for commissioners, clinicians, policymakers, partner organisations and anyone else with an interest to meet those who live and work in rehab, and understand the role it plays in supporting recovery, families and communities | Open Houses, UK

Framework for interacting with the private sector and managing conflicts of interest

Working with external organisations is an important part of improving and protecting Scotland's health. This framework explains how Public Health Scotland: 1) engages with the private sector 2) manages conflicts of interest and 3) ensures that interactions are aligned with public health goals | Public Health Scotland, UK

‘Drugs: It’s Complicated’ Co-producing films to challenge stigma towards people who use criminalised drugs

[In order to] contribute to wider efforts seeking to tackle stigma towards people who use drugs, I set out on a PhD aiming to address stigma through the medium of film, working closely with my supervisors and a group of academic and community collaborators. The films we created have just been released. In this blog, I talk about how we got to this point, and how we tried to unravel some of the complexities of stigma | TARG blog, UK

Women in Recovery

Scotland’s recovery system was not built with women in mind. The evidence is clear — women face distinct and complex barriers to recovery, shaped by trauma, inequality, caring responsibilities and a lack of gender-responsive support. Over the past year, SRC has worked alongside women with lived experience, practitioners, researchers and national partners to explore six critical themes where the system is failing women and where it can do better | SRC, UK

Women in 30s and 40s 'should be warned of alcohol risk linked to breast cancer'

Experts already know that around a quarter of breast cancers could be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes, such as taking more exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and drinking less alcohol. But in the latest research, experts found that key life stages are linked to changes in these behaviours, potentially giving public health experts opportunities to support women at times when lifestyle changes may be easier to make | ITV, UK