Constitution

1. Name

The Association shall be named the British Association of Perinatal Medicine.

2. Aim

The aim of the Association shall be to improve the standard of perinatal care in the British Isles.

3. Membership

At the time of nomination, prospective members should be engaged in practice, teaching or research into any aspect of perinatal medicine. In addition, other individuals contributing to the advancement of perinatal medicine may be nominated for membership.

1. Those seeking election to the BAPM shall be proposed by a member. Applications must be made on the appropriate proposal form, which must be received by the BAPM Administrator at least one calendar month before the Annual General Meeting at which election is sought.
   
2. The Executive Committee shall consider all proposals for membership and reserve the right to seek further information and to decline or defer proposals as appropriate.
   
3. Election to the BAPM membership shall be confirmed by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the Annual General Meeting.

4. Honorary Membership

1. At the Annual General Meeting, the Association shall welcome into Honorary Membership those whom it wishes to honour.
   
2. All nominations for Honorary Membership must be received by the Honorary Secretary at least three calendar months prior to the Annual General Meeting.
   
3. The Executive Committee shall consider all such nominations and reserve the right to seek further information and to decline or defer proposals as appropriate.

5. Officers of the Association

1. The Officers shall comprise a President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, who will be elected by the ordinary members for a term of three years.
   
2. A three year period of office shall commence at the completion of the Annual General Meeting. A 'year' represents the length of time between consecutive Annual General Meetings and might not correspond with a calendar year.
   
3. The President shall be elected at the AGM one year prior to the retirement of the current office holder and shall serve for that year as President Elect and the following three years as President.
   
4. The Honorary Secretary shall be elected at the AGM one year prior to the retirement of the current office holder and shall serve for that year as Honorary Secretary Elect and the following three years as Honorary Secretary.
   
   The terms of office of Honorary Secretary and President should not coincide.
   
5. The Honorary Treasurer shall be elected at the AGM one year prior to the retirement of the current office holder and shall serve for that year as Honorary Treasurer Elect and the following three years as Honorary Treasurer. (The Honorary Treasurer may be nominated for re-election for a second term of office.)
   
6. Only ordinary members will be eligible for nomination to become Officers of the Association. Nominations must be submitted on the appropriate form, to be received by the Honorary Secretary at least three calendar months before the next Annual General Meeting so that, if necessary, a postal ballot can be arranged and the results announced at the Annual General Meeting. If a postal ballot is necessary, only ordinary members are eligible to vote.
   
   In the event that only one nomination is received, the Executive Committee shall consider the nomination and, if approved, the appointment shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting.
   
   The Executive Committee shall reserve the right to seek further information and to decline or defer proposals as appropriate.
   
7. In the event that a President, Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer is unable to complete the full term of three years (and where there is no President Elect, Honorary Secretary Elect or Honorary Treasurer Elect already in place), an Acting President, Acting Honorary Secretary or Acting Honorary Treasurer shall be appointed from amongst members of the Executive Committee until the due process of nomination and election is completed at the next AGM.

6. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Association, Representatives elected from the membership, and, when appropriate, the President Elect, Honorary Secretary Elect and Honorary Treasurer Elect.
   
2. The Representatives shall consist of five paediatricians, three obstetricians, one nursing/midwifery representative and one representative for allied professions. Each of the Representatives shall have a deputy who shall attend meetings of the Executive Committee in the absence of the Representative for whom he or she is deputising.
   
3. Each of the five paediatricians who are Representatives (and their respective deputies) shall represent members working in:
   1. The North part of England
   2. The South part of England
   3. Scotland
   4. Wales
   5. Ireland (If the Representative for Ireland works in the Republic of Ireland then the deputy shall be from Northern Ireland and vice versa.)
      
4. The three obstetric representatives and their deputies shall represent all members and are elected by all ordinary members.
   
5. The Representatives and their deputies shall hold office for three years. On retirement, the Representatives shall be replaced by their deputies. Only ordinary members shall be eligible to become Representatives on the Executive Committee. Nominations from ordinary members must be submitted on the appropriate form to be received by the Honorary Secretary at least three calendar months before the next Annual General Meeting. If a postal ballot is necessary only ordinary members will be eligible to vote. If the ballot is for a representative with regional boundaries, only ordinary members working within the relevant regional boundaries shall be eligible to vote.
   
6. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once between Annual General Meetings. A quorum shall be four of whom one must be the President or Honorary Secretary.

7. Annual General Meeting

1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting at a venue and date to be arranged at least one year in advance. Usually the Annual General Meeting and a meeting of the Executive Committee shall take place in conjunction with a Perinatal Scientific Symposium, which is open to all health professionals interested in perinatal care.
   
2. Observers shall be invited from organisations and professional bodies involved in or connected with perinatal care.
   
   (Examples of such organisations include the Neonatal Nurses Association, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the Department of Health.)

8. Finance

The financial affairs of the Association shall be managed by an Honorary Treasurer. There shall be annual subscriptions from all the members. Any change in subscription charges must be approved at an Annual General Meeting preceding the proposed change. The annual subscription together with all surplus funds accrued from each annual symposium shall form the basic source of income for the Association. The Honorary Treasurer has the authority to disburse funds for the benefit of the Association as appropriate and shall submit a statement of accounts to each Annual General Meeting.

9. Changes in the Constitution

Proposed changes to the Constitution shall be submitted to the Honorary Secretary for consideration by the Executive Committee. Any changes to the Constitution shall require a two-thirds majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.