Constitution of Difficult Airway Society

CONSTITUTION

1.NAME

The name of the society shall be: Difficult Airway Society

2.AIMS OF THE SOCIETY

The Aims of the Society are:-
1.The advancement of public education in the science and practice of the management of patients with difficult or unusual airway problems, by the conduct of courses, lectures, demonstrations and by ensuring that due attention is paid to airway management techniques in the training curricula of medical and paramedical practitioners
2.To promote research and the development of new techniques in dealing with airway problems, and to publish the useful results of that research.

3.MEMBERSHIP

  • Categories of Membership

  1. Full Membership

  2. Associate Membership
  1. Full Membership
    1. Full Membership of the Society is open to all medical practitioners regardless of grade, who remain registered with the General Medical Council or a similar institution in their country of qualification and who share the common purposes of the Society.
    2. Each Full Member shall be eligible to vote at the elections of the Society, and shall have one vote which 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.
  2. Associate membership
    • Associate Membership is open to persons who are not medically qualified.

Application for Full Membership

Written application for Membership shall be made to the Honorary Secretary. The annual fee is payable by standing order every January.

Application for Associate Membership

Written application for Associate Membership shall be made to the Honorary Secretary. Those applying for this grade of membership must be sponsored by a full Member of the Society. The annual fee is payable by standing order every January.

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
  • a list of Society Members
  • access to Society information
  • an ability to attend the Societ 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.

4. OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY

The Officers of the Society shall consist of a Chairman, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer and a Projects Co-ordinator. No remuneration shall be made to the Officers by the Society for holding their positions.

Terms of Office and Duties of Officers

The Chairman shall serve for 3 years and shall:

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

The Honorary Secretary shall serve for 2 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
  • organise an annual Society Dinner.

The Honorary Treasurer shall serve for 2 years and shall:

  • keep accounts of all income and expenditure of the Society
  • ensure the payment of all bills
    o report to the Society on its financial state
  • prepare a balance sheet and report for the annual General Meeting
  • 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.

The Projects Co-ordinator shall serve for 1 year and shall:

  • be responsible for the initiation, organisation and completion of Society projects, having the ability to co-opt Full or Associate Members into agreed projects.

Election of Officers

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 a further term of office.

5. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Each member shall pay an annual subscription:

Annual subscriptions are due on January 15th paid by Standing order.

The amount of the annual subscription shall be determined for both Full and Associate Members by the Annual General Meeting on the advice of the Honorary Treasurer.

6. FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS

The Society shall hold meetings as follows:-

  1. Annual General Meeting: this shall be held annually by notice of at least four weeks delivered to the Members either by post at the address at which they are registered with the Society, or 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

7. 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.

8.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.

9. 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.