The Liverpool Society of Anaesthetists
Constitution

The objects of the Society shall be to promote education and the advancement of knowledge amongst anaesthetists and in the furtherance of the above objects but, not further or otherwise to

1. arrange lectures on developing aspects of anaesthesia

2. provide a forum for members to discuss their work in the science of anaesthesia and disseminate the useful results thereof and

3. award a prize to encourage junior anaesthetists in training to conduct research in the field of anaesthesia.

The Trustees shall be the officers of the charity, namely the President, Immediate Past-President, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary.

All anaesthetists and physician assistants in anaesthesia who hold or have held an appointment in Merseyside, North Wales and its environs shall be eligible for Ordinary membership of the society. Application for membership of the society can be made in person or through the website to the secretary.

Honorary Members shall be elected (for life) from distinguished persons upon whom the Society desires to confer recognition. These Honorary Members shall have, either as anaesthetists or in other spheres, contributed in exceptional degree to the advancement of anaesthesia.

Membership can be terminated through a majority decision of the committee. The member has a right of appeal to the committee.

The Annual Subscription, which shall fall due on the 1st of October each year, shall be determined from time to time by the Committee and approved by a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.

Any member who is in arrears with the subscription for three years shall cease to be a member of the Society but, may be re-elected at the discretion of the Committee provided that all arrears are paid.

(i) The policy and general management of the Society shall be controlled by a  Committee

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(ii) This Committee shall consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents who shall be the Immediate Past-President and President-Elect, an Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and eight Ordinary Members, of which, at least one member would represent academic anaesthesia, one member would be from the regional training body and one member would be an anaesthetist in training,. The committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members.
The President shall hold office for not more than two years. All other Officers and Members of the Committee shall retire annually but, shall be eligible for re-election except that an Ordinary Member of the Committee shall retire after four years and shall not be eligible for re-election as an Ordinary Member for one year.
On the recommendation of the Committee the Society may, at a General Meeting, elect any member who has given long and distinguished service to the Society to serve on the Committee as a Vice-President for Life.

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(iii) Nominations - At a Committee meeting held before the Annual General Meeting, nomination of Officers and Ordinary Members of the Committee for the ensuing year shall be made by a majority vote of the Committee. With the consent of the nominees, these nominations shall be notified to all members of the Society at least twenty eight days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.
Any member of the Society may submit alternative nomination (s) in writing and accompanied by the signature(s) of the nominee(s) to the Honorary Secretary at least fourteen days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of alternative nominations being received, a secret ballot shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting, otherwise those persons nominated by the Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

(iv) Any casual vacancies shall be filled by the Committee.

The Annual General Meeting shall be convened each year in the Spring, for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report of the Society, the audited statement of Accounts, to elect Officers and Members of the Committee and to vote on any amendment of policy that should be deemed necessary by the Committee.

The President of the Society may, at any time or within twenty-one days of the receipt of a written statement from at least twenty members of the Society, call a Special General Meeting for the purpose of altering the Constitution or of considering any other matter which may arise.

(i) Voting: Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.
In the event of an equality of votes the President, as Chairman, shall have the casting vote.

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(ii) Quorum: One-third of the members shall form a quorum at all meetings of the Committee. At General Meetings of the Society twenty-five or one-third of the members, whichever is the less, shall constitute a quorum.

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(iii) Minutes: Minute books shall be kept by the Honorary Secretary with a record of all proceedings and resolutions from committee and general meetings.

(i) All monies raised by or on behalf of the Society shall be applied to further the objects of the Society and for no other purpose.

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(ii) The Honorary Treasurer shall keep proper account of the Finance of the Society and shall open a bank account in the name of the Society to which the Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and President shall be the signatories thereof.

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(iii) The Accounts shall be independently examined by an accountant once per year.

If at any Annual General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Society on the grounds of expense or otherwise, shall be passed by a majority of the members present and the same resolution be confirmed at a Special General Meeting held not less than one calendar month and not more than two calendar months thereafter by a two-thirds majority of the voting members thereon, the Committee shall thereupon proceed to realise the assets of the Society and, after discharge of all liabilities, shall transfer the same to the Liverpool Medical Institution for the continuation of medical education.

Any proposal to alter the Constitution must be delivered in writing to the Honorary Secretary of the Society not less than twenty-eight days before the date of the meeting at which it could first be considered. Any alteration will require a two-thirds majority of the voting members present at a General Meeting, notice of whichmust be given at least fourteen days before the meeting. The notice must include the wording of the proposed alteration. No amendment shall be made that would cause the Society to cease to be a Charity at Law.

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This document was adopted as the Constitution of the Liverpool Society of Anaesthetists at the Annual General Meeting held in the University of Liverpool Faculty of Veterinary Science, Leahurst, Wirral on Friday 11th May 2007.