For this month’s update email, I would like to highlight the following:
The BHS Annual General Meeting – Thursday 4th March 2021, 18:00 – 20:00hrs
Due to the constraints imposed by COVID-19, this year’s AGM will be online and will be held at the time and date above. We will have professional support for the meeting and there will be a secure online voting system in place. There is no need for you to register for the meeting because about a week before the AGM each member will be sent an email with their unique login details. Please look out for that email, which will allow you to test your login process ahead of the meeting itself. We very much hope that you will prioritise attendance at the AGM; we will need a good turnout to ensure that we are quorate for the election of officers to the Society’s Executive Committee and to vote on changes to the constitution.
Changes to the BHS Constitution
At the AGM we will be discussing and voting on changes to our constitution that are recommended by the Executive Committee. I have attached here a document prepared by our Honorary Secretary, Matt Wilson, which highlights the changes being made, and it includes a draft copy of the new constitution. We hope that you will have time to review this document before the vote at the AGM. In the first instance we will seek members’ approval for the changes en bloc, in a single vote, although we will make provision for voting on the separate changes within the constitution, in the event that the first vote doesn’t pass.
Opportunities on the BHS Executive and BHS Professional Affairs Committee
There has been a very good response to last month’s call for expressions of interest in the posts on the BHS Executive that are up for election this year. We have at least one applicant for each post, except for the Member at Large. This post is an excellent opportunity for a surgeon in the earlier years of their career to get involved with the running of the Society, and as a former Member at Large myself I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience! For full details of the available posts, please refer back to last month’s email.
Also available this year are positions on the Professional Affairs Committee, so I would like to invite expressions of interest from all members for these roles. On a personal note, I would like to say how valuable I have found the advice I have received from members of our Professional Affairs Committee during my year as President, and again I would encourage anyone that is tempted to apply, to do so.
If you would like to apply for one of the posts, please could you send an expression of interest to secretary@britishhipsociety.com
Please include a maximum 200-word statement and the names of a Proposer and a Seconder for your application. The closing date for applications will be 12th February, 18:00hrs
BHS Revision Hip National Advisory Panel
I’m delighted to say that there’s been a good response to our calls for interest in the election of the National Advisory Panel, with 168 responses so far. Interest does vary from region to region and the chart below serves as an update on that. As I said in my recent email on this topic, I encourage members to share the invitation to participate in this process with their colleagues, be they BHS members or not, so that the election of the National Advisory Panel is truly representative. The election meeting is due to take place online at 18:30 on Wednesday 10th March and should take no more than one hour. Nearer the time we will send joining instructions by email, to all those who have registered their interest, but for the moment if you have registered, please save the date!
Annual Subscription
As you will know, January is Direct Debit month for our annual subscriptions and I can report that the Go Cardless account has functioned efficiently, under the ever-watchful eye of our Honorary Treasurer, Anil Gambhir. We recognise that COVID-19 has brought with it financial hardship for a few of our members and as a result we have decided that anyone who finds themselves in such an unfortunate position may apply to Anil for a refund of this year’s subscription, without loss of their membership this year. If you wish to apply for a refund, please use Anil’s BHS email address which is: treasurer@britishhipsociety.com
Finally, I’d like to once again encourage anyone who may be thinking about applying for one of the positions up for election at the AGM this year to please do so, and I look forward to seeing you all at the meeting!
With best wishes,
Jonathan
