During its first fifty years, the (Royal) Sanitary Institute became the leading public health organization both in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.

It was soon renowned for events and conferences on pioneering and topical issues, and developed qualifications for people working in public health professions.

By the 1950s, the Society was a leading authority in its field, and was regularly consulted by governments and the international press on health-related issues.

There are four grades of RSPH membership, each aimed at supporting public health professionals at the different stages of their careers: Student; Associate (AMRSPH); Member (MRSPH); and Fellow (FRSPH).

RSPH hosts an annual programme of conferences, webinars, events and training in subjects including water hygiene, infection control, food safety and mental wellbeing.

It has three accreditation services: one for campaigns, one for training programmes and one for university modules, which are either in-house or provided by third sector organisations.