Objects

 

1.        The Association’s objects (‘the Objects’) are the advancement for the public benefit of the Science, Art and Practice of Orthopaedic Surgery with the aim of bringing relief to patients of all ages suffering from the effects of injury or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

 

Membership

 

2.    Membership of the Association shall comprise the following categories:

(a) Honorary Fellows

(b) Corresponding Fellows

(c) Senior Fellows

(d) Fellows

(e) Overseas Fellows

(f) Companion Fellows

(g) Members

(h) Associates

(i) Affiliates

(j) Allied Association/Society

 

3.  (a) (i) Honorary Fellows may be elected from men or women of distinction, whether lay or professional, who have made an outstanding contribution to British or international orthopaedic surgery.

(ii) Corresponding Fellows have in the past been elected from distinguished orthopaedic surgeons resident outside the British Isles who have made a special contribution to British orthopaedics. No further elections will be made to this category.

(iii) Senior Fellows. Fellows, Companion Fellows and Members who have retired from all professional practice and are over the age of 60 may apply for Senior Fellowship / Membership .  Only in exceptional circumstances will Senior Fellowship be granted to applicants under that age.

(iv) Fellows may be elected from surgeons resident and in independent orthopaedic practice in the British Isles  and on the Specialist Register (Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery) of the General Medical Council or the Medical Council of Ireland.

(v) Overseas Fellows may be elected from orthopaedic surgeons resident outside the British Isles who are established as consultants or specialists and have received part of their training in the British Isles or have shown continued interest in the affairs of the Association.

(vi) Companion Fellows may be elected from senior members of allied disciplines who are interested in orthopaedic surgery.

(vii) Reduced Rate Fellows who have retired from clinical practice but still do limited private and/or Medico-legal work resulting in them paying the lowest MDU rate or its equivalent.

(viii) Members may be elected from among Non-Consultant Career Grade Orthopaedic surgeons resident and holding substantive posts within the British Isles .  Those in locum or temporary consultant posts or post CCT Fellowships or those who have obtained their CCT and are in the process of actively seeking employment as a T&O surgeon may also be considered.

(ix) Associates may be elected from those who are, at the time of application, Specialist Registrars or others in training posts with educational approval in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery in the British Isles.  Associate membership is normally limited to the term of employment as a trainee including the period of grace.

(x) Affiliates may be elected from among non-medically qualified members of professions allied to orthopaedic surgery and whose work is consistent with the objects of the Association as defined in (1) above.

(xi) Allied Associations/Societies may be elected from Associations/Societies whose work is consistent with the Objects of the Association and whose members are not medically qualified and who are directly involved in caring for patients who are the clinical responsibility of a Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon who is on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council or the Medical Council of Ireland.. Individual members of the Allied Association/Society will not be members of the British Orthopaedic Association but will be eligible to join as Affiliates.

 

The terms of membership will be governed by a Memorandum of Understanding approved and reviewed annually by the Trustees.

 

Council

 

4.   (a) The Council shall consist of the Officers as defined in Article 30, and twelve

elected trustees and the following non-voting ex officio members:

-        The Chairman of the British Council of Management of the “Journal of

-        Bone and Joint Surgery”

-        The Chairman of the Specialty Advisory Committee in Trauma and

-        Orthopaedic Surgery

-        The Chairman of the Education Committee

-        The President or a nominated representative of the British Orthopaedic

-        Trainees Association

-        The Editor, British Orthopaedic News

-        The Chairman of the Scottish Committee for Orthopaedics and Trauma

-        The Chairman of the Welsh Advisory Orthopaedic Subcommittee

-        The Chairman of the Northern Ireland Regional Orthopaedic and Trauma

-        Committee

-        The Chairman or a nominated representative of the British Orthopaedic

-        Directors Society

-        The Chairman of the Patient Liaison Group

 

(b) i) Council shall appoint an officer, or an elected member in his second year, to serve as the BOA Invited Member to Council of The Royal College of Surgeons of England . The Invited Member shall serve for two years

ii) Council shall appoint a member of Council who is a professor to represent the interests of the Association of Professors of Orthopaedic Surgery. The term of service will not be fixed but shall not be longer than three years. If there is no member of Council who is a professor, the President of the Association of Professors of Orthopaedic Surgery shall be an ex officio member of council.

iii) Council shall appoint two of its members as delegates to the EFORT General   Assembly.

iv) Additional non-voting members of Council may be co-opted pursuant to Article 34.

 

Officers

 

5.  (a)    Election

i)                The President shall be elected annually by the Trustees. Nominations may be put to Council by any two Fellows of the Association and must be endorsed with the candidate’s written consent to stand. Nominations must be with the Honorary Secretary by 1 June. The nominee must be a Fellow of the Association and have been previously elected to Council. Election will be by means of a postal ballot of all Trustees. If there are two candidates, a simple majority will elect the President. If there are more than two candidates, the method of election shall be by single transferable vote. However, any candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote in the first ballot shall be elected. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first vote, the second preference votes of the candidate with fewest votes will be transferred to the other candidates until a candidate receives 50% or more of the vote. Each candidate for President must produce a manifesto not exceeding 250 words.

 

ii)              The Honorary Treasurer shall be elected triennially by the Trustees of the British Orthopaedic Association. The Treasurer should have experience in the management of financial affairs and, preferably, should have been an elected Trustee of the Association. The Honorary Secretary shall, by 15 March, send to each Fellow notice of the nomination of the Trustees. Alternative nominations may be proposed and seconded by two or more members and must be delivered to the Honorary Secretary by 15 April, with the candidate’s written consent to stand. The election process shall be by postal ballot amongst the Trustees and shall follow the same format as that for President. Each candidate for Honorary Treasurer must produce a manifesto not exceeding 250 words.

 

iii)           The Honorary Secretary shall be elected triennially by postal ballot from amongst the Fellows of the Association. The Honorary Secretary shall, by 15 March, send to each Fellow notice of the nomination of the Trustees. Alternative nominations may be proposed and seconded by two or more members and must be delivered to the Honorary Secretary by 15 April, with the candidate’s written consent to stand. Ballot papers will be circulated to all Fellows by 30 April and must be returned to the Honorary Secretary by 31 May. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. Each candidate for Honorary Secretary must produce a manifesto not exceeding 250 words.

 

(b)        Term of Office

 

i)                The President shall be an Officer of the Association for four consecutive years, the year of his term of office as President to be preceded by one year as Vice-President Elect and one year as Vice-President and to be followed by one year as Immediate Past President.

ii)              If the President ceases to hold office during the term, the Vice-President shall become President for the remainder of the term.

iii)           The terms of office for the Treasurer and Secretary shall be 3 years. Appointments shall be staggered to ensure that simultaneous change does not take place.

iv)            The term of office of the President, Vice-President, Vice-President Elect and Immediate Past President shall start on the last day of the Annual Scientific Congress if held in the autumn. If the Scientific Congress is held at another time, the term of office of the aforementioned Officers shall start on 1 October.

v)              The terms of office of the Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer will start on 1 January.

 

(c)        Duties

 

i)               The President shall preside at all Scientific Congresses and general meetings and at all meetings of the Council. The President shall deliver a Presidential Address.

ii)              The Vice-President or, in his absence, the Vice-President Elect or the Immediate Past President shall deputise for the President on all occasions when the President is absent.

iii)            The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for the organisation of the general meetings and meetings of the Council and for the maintenance of the Minutes of those meetings. He shall conduct all correspondence and arrange for the publication of an Annual Report of the affairs of the Association.

iv)            The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for the organisation of all Scientific Congresses.

v)               The Honorary Treasurer shall collect the monies due to the Association and shall be the custodian thereof; shall inform each member when his subscription for the forthcoming year is due; and shall present the audited accounts of the Association and of the Benevolent Fund each year to a general meeting.

vi)            Elected Members of Council shall be given liaison responsibility for a geographical region of the United Kingdom.

 

(d)        Vacancies

 

i)                The Council shall have the power to fill casual vacancies amongst the Officers (except the President, Vice-President and the Vice-President Elect) from amongst trustees subject to confirmation at the next general meeting.

 

Elected Members of Council

 

6.    Twelve Fellows of the Association shall be elected by postal ballot, each to serve as a trustee for three years. Four of the elected trustees shall retire each year and thereafter shall be eligible for re-election after one year’s retirement.

 

7.  The electoral procedure shall be as follows:

 

Part I (Postal Ballot)

 

(a)            On or before 15 March each year the Honorary Secretary shall send to each Fellow a notice inviting nominations for candidates for membership of the Council. Every nomination must be proposed and seconded by a Fellow and endorsed with the candidate’s written consent to stand. Nomination papers must be returned to reach the Honorary Secretary not later than 15 April.

(b)            A postal ballot shall be held if more than four candidates are so nominated. Honorary Secretary shall on or before 30 April issue to each Fellow a voting paper identifying the candidates and stating the number of vacancies to be filled. Each Fellow shall have four votes. Each vote must be cast for a different candidate but all votes need not be used. Voting papers must be returned to the Honorary Secretary on or before 31 May.

(c)            The result of the postal ballot will be presented to the Council at its next meeting. The four candidates with the most votes will be deemed to have been elected Members of the Council with effect from 1 January of the following year.

(d)           In the event of an equality of votes, the Council will determine the candidate or candidates for election to Council by a majority vote.

(e)           Canvassing for the election will not be allowed.

(f)             Should only four candidates be nominated they shall be deemed to have been elected as Members of the Council with effect from 1 January of the following year. If fewer than four candidates have been nominated, the balance of the four vacancies shall be filled by election at a general meeting, as follows:

 

Part II (Election at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting)

(g)            Council will take into account the geographical and age composition of the Council (including the newly elected members) and shall then nominate candidates to fill the remaining vacancy/ies.

(h)            At least thirty-five days before the general meeting at which the members of Council are to be elected the Honorary Secretary shall send to each Fellow a notice of the meeting which will specify which Fellows were elected in the postal ballot and which are the nominees of the Council to fill the remaining vacancy/ies.

(i)             Alternative nominees may be proposed and seconded by two or more Fellows. The candidates’ names and their written consent to stand for election must be delivered to the Honorary Secretary at least twenty-eight days before the date of the meeting. If there are more nominations than vacancies, election shall be by a majority vote at the meeting.

8.                  Election for Categories of Membership

(a)                Nominations for Honorary Fellowship should be supported by ten Fellows and must receive unanimous support of those present at a Council meeting.

(b)                Applications for election as Fellow, Overseas Fellow, Companion Fellow, Member or Associate must be made on an official form and be supported by two Fellows of the Association.

(c)                 Associates may apply directly to the Membership Committee for consideration   for election to Fellowship.

(d)                Application for Affiliate Membership should be made on an official form available from the BOA and should be supported by a reference from the applicant’s own professional body and from two Fellows of the British Orthopaedic Association. The holders of the Certificate of Orthopaedic Medical Technology will only require references from two Fellows of the British Orthopaedic Association.

(e)                Fellows may submit names for consideration for election to any category of membership to the Honorary Secretary.

(f)                 Council shall approve election to all categories of membership, except Honorary, Corresponding and Companion Fellowship, after receiving recommendations from the Membership Committee. Elections shall be confirmed by the vote of a majority at a general meeting.

(g)                Proposals for Honorary and Corresponding Fellowship and applications for Companion Fellowship may only be approved by the vote of a majority at a general meeting.

(h)                Applications by Associations/Societies for Allied membership should be made on an official form available from the British Orthopaedic Association and be supported by ten Fellows of the British Orthopaedic Association. A signed Memorandum of Understanding is a criterion for Allied membership.

 

9.                  Committees

    (a)    Council will have the power to alter the Committee structure in order to deliver the objectives of the Association more effectively. This includes the creation, disbanding, and restructuring of Committees as required.

(b)      All Committee Chair vacancies should be advertised to the full membership and nominations made by the BOA Executive for appointment by Council.

(c)     All Committee vacancies should be advertised to the full Membership and nominations made by the relevant Committee Chair in conjunction with the BOA Executive for appointment by Council.

(d)           All Committees report to Council either directly or through the relevant sub-committee structure.  Council will from time to time delegate such powers as are commensurate with the specific Committee’s remit.

i)        Each Committee will ensure that an appropriate Terms of Reference document is agreed and updated on a regular basis by Council.

ii)              In order to provide increased transparency and allow the maximum opportunity for all members of the BOA to take up Committee posts within the Association, no member of any Committee can have their tenure of office extended without the prior agreement of the BOA Executive, who will forward their recommendation to Council. Approval will only be given in exceptional circumstances.

iii)     The President, Vice President and Honorary Secretary shall be considered members of all Committees – although they will normally be represented by an elected member of Council (see 9(d)iv).

iv)        All Committees will have within their membership a representative elected member of Council, who will be appointed by the President with the agreement of Council.

v)              All Committees shall have the power to co-opt anyone who may assist their work without reference to Council provided the names of those co-opted, the rationale for, and duration of their co-option are subsequently communicated to Council.

vi)     A summary of the Committee’s work will be included in the Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, which will be made available to the membership prior to the AGM.

 

 

Resignations

 

10.     Any member wishing to withdraw from the Association shall give notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary.

 

11.     The Council shall have power to request the resignation of any member deemed by the Council to have been guilty of conduct contrary to the interest of the Association, or to have been disobedient to its Rules or guilty of an unprofessional act or public misdemeanour, provided that the person concerned shall be notified of the proposed action not less than eight weeks before the next general meeting. Any member whose resignation is requested by the Council shall have the right to appeal to that Council and to the next general meeting and enter a defence, provided written application is made to the Honorary Secretary within fourteen days of receiving the request for his resignation. At least 21 days’ notice shall be given to members of a resolution required to remove a member who is also a trustee of the Association. A majority vote of Fellows and Emeritus Fellows at that meeting shall be final.

 

12.     Subscriptions

 

(a)   The annual subscription for Fellows, Overseas Fellows, Members and Associates will include provision for ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’ and other official publications of the Association.

(b)   Honorary Fellows and Corresponding Fellows will pay no subscription and will not receive ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’.

(c)    Senior Fellows elected on or after 18 September 2002 will pay a reduced annual subscription which will not normally include provision of ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’. Senior Fellows elected before 18 September 2002 will pay no subscription but will be invited to make a voluntary annual donation to the Association.

(d)   Companion Fellows may elect to pay a reduced subscription at one of two rates, depending on whether they choose to receive ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’ as part of the subscription entitlement.

(e)   Subscriptions are due on 1st January of each year and are payable in advance. They shall be determined by the Council and approved at a general meeting.

(f)     The Council shall have power to remit, reduce or suspend the subscription of any member at its discretion.

(g)   In the event of election to membership before l July the first subscription shall be payable on election and publications supplied from the beginning of the year. In the event of election after 30 June the first subscription shall be payable on 1 January next following and the publications supplied from the latter date.

(h)   Associates who are elected Fellows shall pay the appropriate subscription on 1 January next following.

(i)     No member shall be entitled to any of the privileges of the Association while their subscription is in arrears. If it remains unpaid for nine months they shall automatically cease to be a member of the Association.  Re-election may be granted by the Council if a re-registration fee is paid and application in writing is made to the Honorary Secretary.

 

Finance

 

13.     The Association’s financial year shall extend from 1 January to 31 December inclusive.

14.      No member of any Committee shall incur any expense on behalf of the Association except with the written authority of the Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer stating the amount to be incurred.

 

Scientific Congress

 

15.      A Scientific Congress shall be held at least once each year at a time and place to be decided by Council which shall be empowered to charge participants a registration fee.

16.     (a) The programme for each meeting shall be settled by the Programme Committee

(b) Anyone wishing to present a communication shall furnish The Honorary Secretary with an abstract in such a format as may be decided.

(c) The Association shall have the right to publish, in whole or in part, in the official publication of the Association or elsewhere, every free communication presented to it.

(d) Every person presenting a communication shall supply to the Editorial Secretary a comprehensive abstract within a reasonable time before the meeting, and, if requested, he shall also supply within a reasonable time a full typescript and illustrations in a form suitable for publication.

 

Editorial Secretary

 

17.     An Editorial Secretary shall be appointed by Council from amongst the Fellows of the Association. He shall be responsible for preparing a report of all scientific congresses of the Association for submission to the British Editor of ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’.

 

‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’

 

18.     The official publication of the Association shall be ‘The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery’ (British volume).

 

British Orthopaedic News

 

19.     The official newsletter of the Association shall be British Orthopaedic News, published under the title ‘BON’.

20.     Council shall appoint the editor, to serve for such term as it may decide.

 

Benevolent Fund

 

21.     (a) The Benevolent Fund shall be administered by trustees in accordance with the Deed of Trust (1938) and any schemes or orders of the Charity Commissioners of England and Wales made from time to time. The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing the accounts of the Fund and shall submit them to the trustees of the Fund and to Council annually before the meeting of the Council preceding the general meeting of the Association at which they are presented.

(b) The Fund shall be an item on the agenda for a meeting of the Council at least once a year and on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

 

Alteration of Rules

 

22.      (a) The Rules shall be altered only by the vote of three-fourths of those Fellows present at a general meeting. The Honorary Secretary shall despatch notice of every proposed alteration to every Fellow not less than twenty-one days before the date of the meeting.

(b) If there are insufficient members to form a quorum at that meeting then within one month of that meeting a postal ballot of Fellows will be conducted. The majority of three-fourths of a minimum return of eighty votes will be required for a change of the Rules. No alterations or additions shall be made to the Rules which will cause the Association to cease to be a charity in law or which shall be inconsistent with, affect or repeal anything contained in the memorandum or the articles of association.

(c) The Association in general meeting shall have power to alter or amend the memorandum and articles of association. The memorandum and articles of association may only be altered by the vote of at least three-fourths of those Fellows present and voting. No postal ballot shall be allowed. The Honorary Secretary shall despatch notice of every proposed alteration to each Fellow not less than twenty-one days before the date of the meeting. Notwithstanding Article 8 of the articles of association eighty Fellows shall form a quorum at a meeting convened to alter the memorandum and articles of association.