POETTS Constitution

Name

The name of the society shall be:
Perioperative Exercise Testing and Training Society (POETTS)

Aims Of The Society

The Aims of the Society are:

  • To promote the highest standards of care for patients undergoing exercise testing and/or training in the perioperative setting and to promote the professional practice of exercise testing and/or exercise training in the perioperative setting.
  • To promote and deliver training and education in exercise testing and/or exercise training in the perioperative setting including advising on education and training curricula for medical and healthcare practitioners.
  • To promote the development, conduct and dissemination of audit, quality improvement, research and innovation to further the development of perioperative exercise testing and/or training.

Membership

Categories of Membership

  • Full Membership
  • Associate Membership
  • Honorary Membership

Full Membership

Full Membership of the Society is open to all medical, nursing and allied health professionals, regardless of grade, who remain registered with their relevant professional body (e.g. General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professionals Council) or a similar institution in their country of qualification or who hold a relevant exercise qualification, and who share the common aims of the Society.

Each Full Member shall be eligible to vote at the elections of the Society, and shall have one vote that may be recorded in person or by written proxy in a form to be prescribed by the Society, and by delivery to the Secretary of the Society.

Associate membership

Associate Membership is open to persons who are not qualified and registered as a medical, nursing or allied health professional, as well as
retired medical, nursing and allied health professionals.

Honorary Membership

Honorary membership of the Society is open to full and associate members of the Society who are judged by their peers to be distinguished contributors to perioperative exercise testing and/or training.

Application for Full Membership

Written application for Membership shall be made to the Honorary Secretary directly or via the website (www.poetts.co.uk). The annual fee is payable every January.

Application for Associate Membership

Written application for Associate Membership shall be made to the Honorary Secretary directly or via the society website (www.poetts.co.uk). A full
Member of the Society must sponsor those applying for this grade of membership. The annual fee is payable by every January.

Award of Honorary Membership

Honorary membership shall be given by election or by acclaim of the full membership at the Annual General Meeting or a Special Meeting of the
Society.

Rights and privileges

Upon successful application for Full or Associate Membership, the New Member will be issued a membership number, the rules of the Society and will enjoy immediately the privileges of the appropriate grade of membership.

Privileges of the membership of the Society shall include:

  • Written notification of dates of Society meetings
  • Priority booking at meetings
  • Access to the list of Society Members
  • Access to Society information
  • Opportunity to attend the Society Dinner and invite guests.

Associate Members enjoy the same rights and privileges as Full Members but are not allowed to vote at the Annual General Meeting.

Officers Of The Society

The Elected Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, an Honorary Secretary and an Honorary Treasurer. No remuneration shall be made to the Officers by the Society for holding their positions.

Terms of Office and Duties of Officers

The President shall serve for 3 years and shall:

  • provide strategic and operational leadership for the Society
  • promote the Society both within and outside the specialty of anaesthesia
  • work dutifully to further develop the Society.

The Honorary Secretary shall serve for 3 years and shall:

  • keep a register of all members
  • organise the meetings of the Society
  • prepare agendas for, and keep minutes of, the Annual General Meeting
  • ensure that the Rules of the Society are followed

The Honorary Treasurer shall serve for 3 years and shall:

  • keep accounts of all income and expenditure of the Society
  • ensure the payment of all bills
  • report to the Society on its financial state
  • prepare a balance sheet and report for the annual General Meeting
  • complete an annual submission to the Charity Commissioners
  • maintain a bank account in the name of the Society
  • ensure that the account remains in positive balance
  • not raise loans in the name of the Society.

Withdrawals from the Society Bank Account shall require the signatures of two Officers.

Election and removal of Officers and Representatives

Written nominations for the posts of Officers shall be submitted to the Honorary Secretary no later than 6 weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting. The nominee must be a Full Member of the Society in good standing, must have a seconder, and must give written notice of a wish to be nominated.

All Full Members shall receive written notice of the nominations for the Officer posts prior to the Annual General Meeting.

Voting shall be by a majority of votes cast by Full Members at the Annual General Meeting, either in person or by post to the Honorary Secretary prior to the meeting.

Officers may, upon retirement from office, be eligible for one further term of office.

An officer, or other committee member, may be removed from office or committee position by the vote of a majority of members at an Annual General Meeting or Special Meeting of the Society.

E-mail communication constitutes written notice/nomination.


Committee Of The Society

Composition of the committee

The Committee shall consist of not fewer than seven full members to be elected from among and by the full members by a postal or email ballot, normally for a term of 3 years. A Committee member may be re-elected for a further term of 3 years. If the committee member takes on an Officer role they may extend their term to complete this role. A committee member may be re-elected after a period of not less than 3 years has elapsed since his or her departure from the Committee.

The committee will comprise the elected officers of the Society and one elected representative, elected by full members, from each of the following categories, who shall serve for 3 years:

  • Medical consultant
  • Medical trainee (single 3 year term)
  • Nurses, AHPs, clinical scientists/exercise physiologist
  • Associate member
  • International committee representative
  • Three additional committee members

Where no representative is elected from any of these categories, the committee may choose to co-opt representatives.

The committee may elect from within, or co-opt from without, identified leads for:

  • Clinical guidelines
  • Education and Training
  • Research
  • Website

Project Co-ordinator(s) may be elected by the committee and serve for 1 year in the first instance (maximum 3 years). The duration of the post will be reviewed annually and the holder shall:

  • Be responsible for the initiation, organisation and completion of Society projects.
  • Have the ability to co-opt Full or Associate Members into agreed projects and project sub-committees.

Committee function

All questions arising at any meeting of the Committee shall be decided by a simple majority of those present, excluding the President or in his absence, his or her deputy. In case of equality of votes, the President or his or her deputy shall have a casting vote.

The committee shall meet at least once each year.

The committee with have a quorum of 5 members: if less than 5 voting members are present, decision will be deferred to a future committee meeting or Annual General or Special meeting of the Association.

There shall be Research, Education and training, Website and Guideline Sub-Committees. Members of these Committees will be co-opted from the membership of the Society, but will include at least one member of the main Committee. The maximum term for each member will be six years. Members of each Sub-Committee will elect their own Chairman. The Chairman of each Sub-Committee will be co-opted to the membership of the main Committee.

Annual Subscriptions

Each full and associate member of the Society shall pay an annual subscription. Honorary members shall not pay subscriptions.

Due Dates

Annual subscriptions are due on January 15th paid by Direct Debit.

Amount

The amount of the annual subscription shall be determined for both Full and Associate Members at the Annual General Meeting, or a Special Meeting, on the advice of the Honorary Treasurer. Notification of any change will take place by e-mail.

Frequency Of Meetings

The Society shall hold meetings as follows:

Annual General Meeting

This shall be held annually by notice of at least four weeks delivered to the Members by e-mail at the address with which they are registered with the Society, and by announcement through the Society’s publications and Newsletters. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at a date not later than six calendar months from the end of the Society’s accounting date.

At the Annual General meeting, the following business shall be transacted:

  • receipt of the Account of the Society
  • presentation of the Annual Report of the Society
  • the election of Officers if appropriate
  • fixing of the annual subscription.

Special Meetings of the Society

Special Meetings of the Society shall be called as and when they are required, and shall be capable of being called by the Secretary on the instructions of the other Officers of the Society, or on written representation of one-third of the Full Membership eligible to vote. Such meetings shall be called within six weeks of a request being made in accordance with the above terms.

Ordinary meetings of the Society

Ordinary meetings of the Society shall be called for the delivery of lectures, demonstrations and reports and shall be arranged from time to time by the Officers of the Society.

Audit And Accounts

Accounts shall be maintained and prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 1993 and the Regulations promulgated under the provisions of that Act, and shall be audited in accordance with the requirements of the Act if appropriate. If an audit is not required under the terms of the Act, the accounts shall be either, examined by an Independent Examiner or audited by a properly qualified auditor at the discretion of the Officers of the Society.

Alteration

The provisions of this Constitution may be altered from time to time at a Special Meeting of the Society, a proposed alteration being laid before the Full Members of the Society with the Notice calling the Special Meeting. No alteration shall be made unless it is carried by two-thirds of the Full Members either present in person or by written proxy, and in any event, no alteration may be made which would render the Society non charitable according to the law of England and Wales.

Dissolution

In the event that the Society decides on a two-thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote at a meeting called for the purpose, that it can no longer proceed to carry out its objects, then the Officers shall realise the assets of the Society and, if there be any moneys left after satisfaction of all proper liabilities, that sum shall not be divided upon the members but shall be passed to another charitable organisation having objects similar to or complementary to the objects of the Society as decided by the Officers of the Society at their absolute discretion.

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 POETTS Constitution (122 KB)