Constitution


  1. NAME OF GROUP

Royal College of Nursing Occupational Health Nurses' Forum, Scotland.

  1. ESTABLISHMENT & TITLE

The Forum is a specialist Group within the Royal College of Nursing Scottish Board known as the Royal College of Nursing Occupational Health Nurses' Forum Scotland. This Forum relates to the Royal College of Nursing Scottish Board for support.

  1. RELATIONSHIPS

Formal links will be established and maintained through the Department of Nursing Policy and Practice with the Royal College of Nursing Adviser.

  1. AIMS

4.1 To provide a corporate identity and support for Occupational Health Nurses working in Scotland.

4.2 To provide advice on Occupational Health Nursing educational provision.

4.3 To provide a system of effective communication between members and to form links with other allied and professional groups.

4.4 To provide a focal point for public response and comment on Occupational Health topics as they arise.

4.5 To provide advice on Occupational Health Nursing to relevant public and private bodies.

  1. MEMBERSHIP

Full membership or Associate membership of the Forum will be open to all Occupational Health Nurses living and / or working in Scotland and who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

5.1 Definition of Membership:

Full Members: must be members of the Royal College of Nursing.

Associate members: nurses who are not members of the Royal College of Nursing.

5.2 Honorary or co-opted members may be admitted to the Forum from time to time at the invitation of the Executive Committee. However such members will not have voting rights and cannot be members of the Executive Committee unless they are members of the Royal College of Nursing.

  1. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

6.1 Members of the Executive Committee must be full members of the Forum. Executive Committee members will be elected to the Committee in a ballot of the membership at the Annual General Meeting. Written nominations, with a Proposer and Seconder, should normally be submitted to the Forum Secretary, at least four weeks prior to the AGM.

    1. Forum members not able to attend the AGM can apply for a postal vote to participate in the ballot of Executive Committee members. Administration of the postal voting procedure will be the responsibility of the Forum Secretary. A postal vote must be requested in writing no later than two weeks prior to the AGM. Only full Forum Members are eligible to vote. Eligibility will be checked and a ballot form sent to the individual member. The ballot form should be completed and returned by post to the Forum Secretary to arrive no later than one week prior to the AGM. The secretary will hold this ballot slip in a confidential manner until it is included in the ballot at the AGM. Ballot forms that have been photocopied or returned by fax or e-mail will be invalid.


6.3 Elected members will serve three years on the Committee and then demit Committee membership (unless elected to Office Bearer) for a minimum of 2 years before being eligible to stand for re-election.

6.4 Office Bearers (Chair-Person, Vice Chair-Person, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer) must be Full Members of the Forum and should have served a minimum of one year on the Committee before being elected to Office. Where necessary, the Executive Committee reserve the right to appoint office bearers deemed necessary for the continuance of the Forum. In such cases, the appointment will be limited in time to the duration of the current year and formal election to the committee will be required at the next AGM.

6.5 The Executive Committee will discuss and agree nominations for the Office Bearers posts at the penultimate pre-conference meeting. Nominations will then be taken to the AGM for ratification by Forum members.

6.6 An Office Bearer will normally serve for 2 years in one position and may continue in another capacity for another two years.

6.7 The Committee will meet as necessary. The Committee shall have the authority to co-opt Full Forum members to the Committee for special projects etc. Such option will be valid for one year.

6.8 Four members of the Executive Committee shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Committee.

  1. FORUM COMMITTEE

7.1 The Forum Committee comprises the Executive Committee and Link Members.

Representation from relevant bodies will be invited to serve as Link Members as appropriate including:

    • The Society of Occupational Health Nursing

    • Federation of Occupational Health Nurses within the European Union

    • Occupational Health Nurse Managers Group

    • Nursing & Midwifery Council previously the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery & Health Visiting

    • Senior Occupational Health Manager's Group, NHS Scotland

If no Scottish Occupational Health Nurse is available to act as a link member another member of the relevant body will be invited to report to the Forum.

    1. The Forum will meet four times a year at locations throughout Scotland as appropriate. Link Members' travel expenses will be met to allow them to attend these meetings one of which will be the AGM.

    2. A member of the Executive committee shall be deemed to have resigned if they are absent from 2 consecutive Forum meetings without giving apologies or an acceptable cause.

  1. ADMINISTRATION

8.1 The Secretary will be responsible for preparing the minutes of all meetings of the Forum. Such minutes will be prepared in collaboration with the Chairperson, whom failing, the Vice- Chairperson. These Officers will also prepare the agenda for Forum meetings.

8.2 The Secretary will be responsible for the issue of notices convening Forum meetings. Notices calling meetings of the Forum will normally be posted to Forum members twenty-eight days before the date of any such meeting.

8.3 The Treasurer will be responsible for the Forum's finances and will maintain accounts in such a manner and style as may be laid down by the auditors.

8.4 All Forum accounts will be audited by an independent auditor appointed by the Executive Committee of the Forum. After adoption by the Executive Committee the annual audited accounts will be submitted to the Forum at the Annual General Meeting. The Forum's financial year will run from 1st September to 31st August of the following year.



  1. MEETINGS

9.1 The Forum Committee will normally meet a minimum of four times a year including the annual general meeting in locations throughout Scotland as appropriate. The annual general meeting will take place prior to the annual conference at the venue and time agreed for that event.

9.2 The Executive Committee will meet as necessary to organise the annual conference and any Forum business that arises. These meetings will be held at the convenience of the Executive.

  1. ALTERATION / AMENDMENT TO CONSTITUTION

10.1 The Constitution may only be amended at the Annual General Meeting after due notice is given to the membership of proposed changes. The adoption of such changes will require the support of a two-thirds majority of those attending.

10.2 Notice of such amendments must be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Forum four weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting. The name of the proposer of such an amendment being entered on the amendment along with a seconder prepared to support such an amendment. The Secretary will accept no amendment unless the proposer and seconder of such an amendment(s) are full members of the Forum.

  1. DISSOLUTION

11.1 If the membership decides at any time to dissolve the Forum, the Executive Committee in consultation with the Royal College of Nursing Scottish Board may be instructed by the membership or may propose to the membership that a meeting be convened to discuss the matter.

    1. The Forum cannot be dissolved unless two-thirds of all full members of the Forum present at any meeting called for that purpose vote for it to be dissolved.

    2. Formal notice of the intention to hold such a meeting will be sent to each individual member via letter no later than four weeks prior to the proposed meeting date.

11.4 In the event of the dissolution of the Forum such funds as are invested in the Forum at the date if its dissolution shall be paid into the Mair Scholarship Fund or any other such funds as the membership in consultation with the Royal College of Nursing shall so decide.

 

 

Cathy Hudson Colin Graham

CHAIR PERSON SECRETARY