About BIS

The British Infection Society Constitution

(Registered Charity - No. 293859)

1 Title

The name of the Society shall be "The British Infection Society", hereinafter referred to as "the Society".medicine in in corporate the British Society for the Study of Infection and the Clinical Infection Society. medicine in relation med

2 Aims of the Society

The British Infection Society is established to promote the science and practice of medicine in relation medicine in further research, training and education in the subject.

3 Membership

Membership will be open to all graduates in medicine and science and to members of other professional groups who are in support of the objectives of the Society.

There will be four categories of Membership as follows:
i) Full Members who have full voting rights
ii) Retired Full Members who will pay a nominal charge and will not have voting rights
iii) Medically qualified Doctors in Training in UK and Ireland who will have limited voting rights
iv) Associate Members working in UK and Ireland who will have limited voting rights (open to non-medically qualified personnel including nurses, medical students, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and technical staff).

Only Full Members will receive the Journal of Infection. Categories ii-iv will be charged a nominal subscription. All categories of Member will be able to attend the Annual General Meeting. Doctors in Training and Associate Members will be allowed to vote only for their representatives on Council.

Application for membership shall be made in writing to the Membership Secretary of the Society. Council reserves the right to exclude any person who is shown to be in contravention of the objectives of the Society-.

4 Council

(a) The affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Council consisting of thirteen elected members from among the general membership:
President (Chairman of Council)
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership Secretary
Meetings Secretary
Scientific Affairs Co-ordinator
Professional Affairs Co-ordinator
Manpower and Training Co-ordinator
Clinical Services Co-ordinator
Training grade members x 3
Associate Member

The position of all Council members is Honorary.

(b) Each member who agrees to become a candidate for election to Council shall be proposed and seconded in writing by Society members one of whom must be of at least 2 years’ standing.

(c) The Editor of the Journal of Infection will be an ex-officio member and will be accountable to and appointed by Council.

(d) Council reserves the right to co-opt new members as and when this is deemed appropriate.

(e) A quorum for Council business shall comprise a majority of its membership.

5 Officers of the Society

(a) Council should ensure that there are sufficient nominations for the posts of President, Treasurer, Secretary and Meetings Secretary (the Principal Officers) when these fall vacant. Additional nominations from the membership will also be welcomed. The Society should aim to include representation from the different disciplines concerned with infection on the Council.

Council may decide that one of its members shall become a Principal Officer in place of an Officer who has had to demit office prematurely.

(b) The President shall serve for a term of three years and shall not be eligible for re-election for a consecutive term as President, except in exceptional circumstances.

6 Other Members of Council

(a) Training grade members of Council shall serve for two years each; in the event of promotion to a consultant or equivalent post such members will be entitled to complete their term of office. Other members of Council shall serve for three years each, with approximately one-third of their number retiring from office each year. Members shall not be eligible for immediate re-election except in exceptional circumstances.

(b) Council shall have the rights to establish and dissolve specific Committees, Sub-Committees or working groups as deemed appropriate for the advancement of the Society's business.

7 Journal of Infection

The Society shall publish the Journal of Infection. The Journal, its title and copyright shall be owned by the Society. The Society shall be responsible for providing the services of the Editor(s), and any changes in the Editor(s) or Editorial Board shall be determined by the Society in consultation with the Publishers. The Society and Editor(s) shall mutually agree upon the scope of the Journal. The formulation of editorial policy and any changes to Editorial policy shall be subject to mutual agreement between the Publishers and Society.

8 Annual General Meeting

(a) The Society shall hold an Annual General. Meeting on a date and at a time to be decided by Council.

(b) A quorum for business at the AGM shall comprise at least 5 per cent of the full voting membership.

9 Scientific Meetings

(a) The Society shall hold regular scientific meetings, which shall be open to all members and to other bona fide persons on application to the appropriate meeting's organiser.

(b) The format of the regular meetings of the Society will primarily be contributory, competitive and of a high scientific content. No relevant subject shall be excluded from consideration.

(d) Registration charges for regular Society meetings will be kept to a minimum and whenever possible educational grants will be sought to ensure low cost. Other than in exceptional circumstances, registration costs for training grade members will be waived.

(e) The proceedings of meetings shall not be communicated to outside, public or private bodies, or to the news media, without consent of Council and the presenter.

10 Alteration to Constitution

(a) Proposals to alter the Constitution must be forwarded in writing to the Secretary for consideration by the Council of the Society before the Annual General Meeting.

(b) Amendment cannot be made to the Objective Clause (Clause 2), this Clause (Clause 10b) or the Dissolution Clause (Clause 13) without prior consent in writing of the Charity Commissioners.

11 Subscriptions

There shall be an annual subscription, the rates to be recommended by Council and approved by the membership, payable to the Treasurer. This will include subscription costs for the Journal of Infection for Full Members.

12 BIS (Trading) Ltd

The Society shall wholly own BIS (Trading) Ltd, a company limited by guarantee, whose directors shall be 3 of the Principal Officers of the Society. The profits of the Company shall be covenanted to the Society.

13 Dissolution

The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of those voting in person or by proxy at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for this purpose, of which 28 days' notice shall be given to the members. Such resolution shall give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by or in the name of the Society provided that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society, but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to some or all of the objects of the Society.