The British Society of Orthopaedic Anaesthetists – Constitution

The British Society of Orthopaedic Anaesthetists – Constitution

1. The Society shall be called The British Society of Orthopaedic Anaesthetists.
   
   
2. The general objectives of the Society are to promote (for the public benefit) research and education in the field of orthopaedic anaesthesia and perioperative medicine for patients.
   
   
3. The Society shall consist of and be governed exclusively by Ordinary Members and Honorary Members (President Medal Winners). The members alone shall have power to elect the committee and alter the constitution.
   
   
4. The acceptance of Membership shall be deemed to imply an agreement to be bound by all the regulations of the Society.
   
   
5. Persons of distinction who have instigated significant advancement of the society may be proposed for Honorary Membership on the nomination of the committee. Honorary Members shall have the rights of Ordinary Members.
   
   
6. Each Ordinary Member shall pay an Annual Subscription the amount of which shall be determined at the Annual General Meeting. Members who are retired from Medical Practice shall be exempt from paying the annual subscription.
   
   
7. Honorary members shall not pay an Annual Subscription.
8. Any Ordinary Member whose subscription is two years in arrears shall cease to be a Member.
   
   
9. The committee shall be empowered to recommend to an Extraordinary General Meeting removal of any Member if, in their opinion, the interests of the Society require it. The individual Member concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a final decision is made to recommend the removal of such a Member. If two-thirds of the Members present at the Special General Meeting vote by ballot in support of the Committee, the Member in question shall cease to be a Member of the Society.
   
   
10. The day to day business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee of three Officers (a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer) and six other elected members. Election to the committee will be held at the Annual General Meeting. Committee members shall serve for a period of five years following which they are eligible for re-election.
    
    
11. The Officers will be elected for a period of three years with eligibility to be re-elected for a maximum of 2 terms. They shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
    
    
12. The Committee may co-opt the immediate past and future meetings organisers. The Committee may co-opt other Members of the Society as deemed appropriate.
    
    
13. The funds of the Society shall be under the control of the Committee who shall have the power to expend such funds as they think fit. No member of the committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Society or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the committee) in any contract entered into by the committee. Committee members shall declare any conflicts of interest to the Secretary and these should be declared at the Annual General Meeting.
    
    
14. Ordinary Members may make proposals to change the rules of the Society to the Committee. These proposals together with those of the Committee will be submitted to the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. The notice of the General Meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed. A change will require two-thirds of those voting to favour the change and will lead to that change in the rules.
    
    
15. Upon dissolution or winding up of the Society any surplus assets remaining after payment of all outstanding debts and liabilities shall be passed to other institutions having similar objectives to the Society. Any decision to dissolve the society shall be made at a General Meeting.
    
    
16. An Annual General Meeting shall be held at which the annual business of the Society will be transacted. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the Committee or by the Secretary on the written request of twenty Ordinary Members. At least one weeks’ notice of a General Meeting shall be given. At the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting, the President, or in their absence, a nominee of the Committee shall take the Chair.
    
    
17. The business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting shall be to receive and consider the Reports and Accounts presented by the Committee, to confirm or otherwise deal with the Reports and Accounts, to confirm or deal with any proposal to change the Rules of the Society, to elect Members of the Committee for the ensuing year, and to determine the Annual Subscriptions.
    
    
18. A quorum of any General Meeting shall consist of at least three Ordinary Non-Committee Members and two members of the Committee.
    
    
19. At any General Meeting, a resolution put to the meeting shall be decided by a show of hands or use of available technology as demanded by the Chair or at least three Ordinary Members. The Chair’s declaration of the results of a show of hands that a resolution has been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority or lost shall be decisive.
    
    
20. A balance sheet and an income and expenditure account shall be made out once in each year and presented to the Annual General Meeting. The accounts shall be inspected and income and expenditure verified and approved each year by a member appointed at the AGM. All monies raised by and on behalf of the Society shall be applied to furthering the objectives of the Society. No surplus monies shall be distributed to members. Reasonable expenses may be paid to members of the committee and any member of the Society acting on its behalf, at the discretion of the committee.
    
    
21. At an Extraordinary General Meeting the only business to be discussed shall be that on the agenda circulated before the meeting.
    
    
22. At least one Scientific Meeting shall be held each year.
    
    
23. The dates and places of the Scientific Meetings will be arranged by the committee and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting.
    
    
24. The Management Company will inform all Members of the dates and places of the Scientific Meetings and invite the submission of papers via email and the website as directed by the Committee.
    
    
25. A Trustees section is to be added to the constitution but will be informed by the outcome of the vote in this AGM and the advice from Independent Examiners (the company advising BSOA on charity conversion and training)