MERSEY PRIMARY CARE R&D CONSORTIUM

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Constitution

1. Title

The organisation shall be known as Mersey Primary Care Research & Development Consortium hereinafter known as 'The Consortium'.

2. Aim

To build on the increasingly important role of Research and Development in Primary Care within the NHS framework, and contribute to enhancing research skills and output to improve the PHCT approach to evidence based practice in line with the contract drawn up by North West Region and the Consortium.

3. Objectives

Build on the strength of the practice units, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool to enable GPs, nurses, managers and administrative staff to improve quality of Primary Care research.
Build healthy R&D alliances between Primary care teams and the wider health community.
Identify and share good practice
Encourage the public to participate in decisions on R&D relevant to primary, community and hospital services
Provide flexibility within the available resources to ensure that R&D can be available at the appropriate time and place taking account of clinical effectiveness and user preference.
Be well placed to influence health authorities in the development of integrated workforce plans across primary and secondary care
Reduce the isolation felt by some health professionals working in small practices.

4. Membership of Executive Board

Hereinafter referred to as "the Board"

The Board will consist of the Consortium Director and Manager with up to 8 other people, selected to ensure adequate representation of multidisciplinary PHCT and consumer representation, and a balance between the service and academic sectors of the Consortium.

5. Quorum

The quorum for the board should be at least half the members. Decisions may then be made by simple majority of those present.

6. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Consortium will be held in May of each year when members standing down will be replaced. Prior notice of those standing down is 2 months before the AGM.

7. Election Procedures for Board Members

All nominations for positions becoming vacant at biannual AGMs, shall be in writing with the name of the proposer, seconder and signed by the nominee. The nominee will have to provide a 100 word letter of support with their application.

7.1 The chair of the Board will not normally be the Director of the consortium. They will chair the AGM and Board meetings and attend the steering group.

7.2 The Director and Deputy Director will be appointed by a process of internal application and formal appointment committee. The Director will have a strategic overview and understanding of both Primary Care and Academia. The Deputy Director will support the Director. Their detailed roles and responsibilities will be as outlined in their job descriptions.

7.3 In the first instance the Consortium members will be appointed for terms of 2 year and 3 years in order to have experienced Board members available at all times. The Director and Deputy Director terms of office will be for 2 years in the 1 st instance (subject to funding), and annually reviewed by the appointment subcommittee of the Board including the Chair.

8. Attendance at Board Meetings

All Board members are required to attend Board meetings. If a member misses three consecutive meetings then the consortium can ask Practices/University to nominate another member to attend. It is not acceptable for individual practices to send a representative from another discipline.

9. Changes to the Constitution

Any changes to the constitution may only be made at either the AGM or at an Extraordinary General meeting called for that purpose.

All proposals to be made in writing to the Personal Assistant four weeks prior to the AGM for circulation to all practices.

10. Meetings

The Consortium shall hold a minimum of 10 Board meetings each year excluding the AGM and can call an Extraordinary General Meeting.

11. Notice of Agenda Items

All items for debate should be submitted in writing to the P.A. of the Board not later than 10 days before the date of the next meeting such items to be included in the agenda and distributed to board members.

12. Resolutions

12.1 No motion shall be discussed at a meeting until it has been moved and seconded.

12.2 Amendments shall be taken in order, and one amendment shall be disposed of before another is moved. If the first amendment is carried it then becomes the question, whereupon any further amendments may be moved.

12.3 Any motion to rescind a previous decision passed by the Board shall be handed in written form to the chair/PA not later than 14 days before the date of the next meeting such notice to be included in the agenda and distributed to board members.

12.4 A motion to rescind a decision by the Board shall not be valid within three months after the date of the original decision, always provided that on due consideration of grounds of untenability, emergency or definite urgency the board shall have power to suspend part of this order for the purpose of allowing an ad hoc motion of rescission to be put.

13. Speakers

13.1 All speakers shall address the chair. All members shall preserve order and be seated when the chair rises. No member shall be allowed to speak more than once on any resolution until every other member has had an opportunity of speaking and shall then only have opportunity to speak a second time by permission of the chair.

13.2 Time limit for speakers - the mover and seconder of any motion shall be deemed to have spoken thereon. The mover of a motion shall be allowed 10 minutes, seconder and succeeding speakers five minutes each. The time limit of speakers may be extended by vote of members. The mover of any original resolution but not of any amendment may reply to the discussion without introducing new matter, and this shall close the discussion.

13.3 The chair, if desirous of speaking individually to any motion shall request the permission of the meeting to leave the chair for the purpose of so doing, always providing that this shall not abrogate the original right of the chair to sum up or comment on a discussion to clarify the issues of which members are to vote.

14. Voting on Motion

14.1 Shall be by a show of hands except when the Board decides it should be by ballot vote.

14.2 Equality of votes - in the event of an equal number of votes being given on any matter it shall be decided the question be not carried or

14.3 The chair may give a casting vote in the event of there being an equality of votes on any matter. If the chair does not wish to give a casting vote - the resolution is not carried.

14.4 Any motion to 'adjourn', 'next business', 'that the vote be taken', 'that the chair leave the chair', shall be moved, seconded and put to the vote without discussion. After such a vote, 20 minutes shall elapse before such a motion can again be accepted by the chair. A motion of ‘next business' shall not be taken until the mover and seconder of a motion have been heard.

14.5 Chairs ruling - either the chair's ruling or any point of order arising from these standing orders is final.

or

The chair's ruling on any point of order arising from these standing orders is final unless challenged by not less than three members of the Board whereupon the chair shall put the ruling to the meeting forthwith.

15. Breach of Rules or Orders

Any breach of or question on the rules or standing orders may be raised by a member of the Board rising to a point of order.

16. Suspension of Rules/Standing Orders

Any of the standing orders may for good reason be temporarily suspended for the remainder of the meeting by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at a meeting of the Board.