These Regulations of the Healthcare Infection Society are made pursuant to the power granted to it by Clause 10 of the Society’s Constitution and may be repealed, varied or added to by the Council.
Admission of Members
Any person desirous of becoming a Member of the Society must complete and sign a membership application in such form as may from time to time be authorised by the Council and provide the appropriate subscription payment. The Society reserves the right to ask applicants to provide a CV and list of publications to support their application for membership.
The Council has the final decision regarding the category of membership appropriate to any applicant.
The Council may refuse an application for membership if they feel it would be in the best interests of the Society to do so, and if this is the case the applicant must be informed in writing of the reasons for the refusal. The Council must consider any written representations the applicant may make about the decision, and then provide a final decision to the applicant in writing.
Membership list
The Membership list of the Society is confidential to the Society and may be made available to Society Members in printed form from time to time as determined by the Council.
Membership subscriptions
Membership subscriptions run in parallel with the HIS financial year, i.e. April to March.
Council sets the annual membership subscription fees, and reserves the right to suspend some or all membership benefits for those members whose fees remain unpaid at the end of September in any given year.
Termination of Membership
Membership is terminated if:
(1) the Member dies;
(2) the Member resigns by written notice to the Society;
(3) the Member’s membership fee remains unpaid within 18 months of it falling due;
(4) the Member is removed from Membership by a resolution of the Council that it is in the best interests of the Society that his or her Membership is terminated.
A resolution to remove a Member may only be passed if:
(a) the Member has been given at least twenty one days’ notice in writing of the meeting of the Council at which the resolution will be proposed and the reasons why it is to be proposed;
(b) the Member or the Member’s representative (who need not be a Member) has been allowed to make representations to the meeting.
The Council may re-admit to Membership any person whose Membership has
terminated, provided he or she satisfies the Council that he or she is worthy of re-admission, and pays such amount in respect of arrears of subscriptions as the Council may determine.
Council meetings
Council will have face to face meetings at least four times per year. In addition, Council business may be transacted via teleconference from time to time.
At every meeting of the Council, five Council members shall constitute a quorum. No decision may be made unless a quorum is present at the time the decision is made.
The Chairman shall take the Chair at all Council meetings; in the Chairman’s absence an Officer will be called upon to Chair the meeting.
Decisions will normally be made by consensus. If the Chair deems that consensus has not been achieved, a secret ballot will be held with the outcome decided by a majority of votes. In addition, a question at a meeting of the Council may be decided by secret ballot if demanded by at least two members of the Council present at the meeting. In the case of an equality of votes, the person who Chairs the meeting shall have a casting vote. It will be at the discretion of the Chair to decide whether the ballot should be limited to Council members present at the meeting or whether there should be a postal/email ballot of all Council members subsequent to the meeting.
Individuals who have been co-opted onto Council as extra Council members under Clause 2 of the Constitution are not Trustees and do not have the right to vote in ballots of Council members.
The Chief Executive attends meetings of the Council but may not vote.
Delegation
The Council shall at their discretion appoint from their own body such Committees
and Working Parties as may be deemed expedient to assist in the conduct of its
business and to forward the aims of the Society, to which Committees and Working Parties Members of the Society may be co-opted.
The Council will decide the terms of reference of such Committees and Working Parties, and no expenditure may be incurred on behalf of the Society except in accordance with a budget previously agreed with the Council.
The Council may disband a Committee or Working Party or alter its terms of reference.
All acts and proceedings of any Committees and Working Parties must be fully and promptly reported to the Council.
