Rules of the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions
General
1) The UKCHIP Council shall comprise:
a) 21 members elected from the body of Registrants as voting members;
b) The nominated representatives of professional and other bodies with an interest in Health Informatics recognised by UKCHIP as Liaison Organisations and admitted as non-voting members;
c) Such other person(s) as the UKCHIP Council shall agree to co-opt as non-voting member(s).
Liaison Organisations may include:
a) Policy making organisations;
b) Agencies responsible for implementing national policy in health informatics;
c) Independent professional institutions and societies with a primary and/or secondary interest in informatics within healthcare, or
d) Sub-groups of professional institutions and societies with specific remits in informatics and healthcare.
2) For the duration of their election to Council, each of the 21 persons elected by the body of Council Registrants shall be registered as a member of the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital (registered in England & Wales, No. 4771281) whose objects are:
a) To be the voluntary certification and registration body for individuals practicing in all branches of Health Informatics in the United Kingdom;
b) To promote, advance and encourage the study and practice of the application of Informatics in the promotion of health, well being and dying with dignity;
c) To establish, uphold and improve the standards of qualification, training, competence and conduct of Health Informaticians in the United Kingdom;
d) To establish mechanisms for the benefit and protection of the public;
e) To collaborate with official bodies, societies and professional associations on matters relating to the above.
3) The company shall be administered in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association by a board of directors elected by the members, who shall have overall responsibility for the business of UKCHIP according to the objects. Each director shall have a responsibility to the board for a specific area of UKCHIP business and may establish a Working Group from amongst Council members to assist in delivering that business.
4) The Council shall act in an advisory capacity to the board for the development and regulation of Health Informatics as a profession throughout the United Kingdom*.
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Channel Island bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies and not part of the United Kingdom.
5) The Council members shall elect from its members a President who shall also be appointed as the chair of the Council.
6) The board of directors shall elect from its members a Chair and appoint the Registrar and the Secretary.
Election of Council Members
7) A person seeking election to Council:
a) Shall be registered in that part of the UKCHIP Public Register of Health Informatics Professionals (the Register) for which he / she seeks election and meets the criteria but no person may be elected for more than one part of the register at a time; (currently registration may be in any part of the register)
b) Shall live or work wholly or mainly in the United Kingdom;
c) Shall not be the subject of any allegation, investigation or proceedings concerning his / her fitness to practise in Health Informatics or any other profession;
d) Shall be wholly or mainly engaged in the practice, teaching, research or management of the Health Informatics profession.
8) A person may only vote in the election:
a) If he / she is included in the Register at the time the election takes place;
b) In respect of one part of the Register; (currently not applicable)
c) For candidates who represent the part of the Register in which he / she is registered at the time of the election; (currently not applicable)
9) A person may vote whether he / she lives or works within or outside the United Kingdom.
10) The Secretary shall provide such information and advice for voters and candidates about the purpose and conduct of the elections as necessary.
11) The term of office for each elected Council member shall be for a period of 3 years whereupon that person must stand down or present him / her self for re-election.
12) No Council member may be appointed for more than three consecutive terms.
13) A Council member may resign at any time by giving notice in writing, including email, addressed to the Secretary.
Election of the President
14) The President of Council shall be elected by a majority of elected Council members.
15) The term of office for the President shall be a period of 3 years whereupon he / she must present him / her self for re-election.
16) A President may not be appointed for more than three consecutive terms.
17) The President shall hold office until whichever of the following first occurs:
a) He / she resigns as President;
b) He / she ceases to be an elected member of the Council;
c) He / she is removed by a majority vote of the other members of the Council.
18) A person shall not be prevented from being elected President because he / she has previously been President.
19) The President may resign the office of President at any time by giving notice in writing, including email, addressed to the Secretary.
Duties of Council Members
20) Each Council member will be expected to:
a) Attend quarterly meetings of the UKCHIP Council;
b) Participate actively in at least one UKCHIP committee or working group established to address specific issues identified by Council;
c) Carry out any registration assessment allocated to them within 10 days of receipt (unless unavailability for a period has been previously notified to the Registrar);
d) Actively seek opportunities for financial support for UKCHIP and pass details to the Director of Finance or other Board member;
e) Notify the Director of Marketing & Communications of any matter which presents an opportunity for UKCHIP to raise its profile;
f) Actively promote professional registration with UKCHIP in the members' employing organisation;
g) Identify and contact key influencers to promote UKCHIP and professional registration in Health Informatics;
h) Provide comment and contributions to the Council on matters relevant to the profession from time to time
Conduct of Council Members
21) Council members shall comply with the Code of Conduct for registrants and uphold the seven principles of public life established by the Committee on Standards in Public Life drawn up by the Nolan Committee and endorsed by parliament, and included below as an Appendix.
22) Council members shall make a declaration of their personal interests in accordance with the Members’ Interests Registration Scheme established by the Council and shall be under a duty to ensure that the details of their interests set out in the Register of Members’ Interests maintained by the Council and held by the Secretary are accurate and up to date.
Removal of Council Members
23) A person may be removed as a Council member if:
a) There is a change in his / her qualifications, interests or experience such that it appears to the Council that he / she will no longer contribute to the Council's exercise of its functions in such a manner as justifies his / her continued membership;
b) He / she ceases to live and work wholly or mainly in the United Kingdom or, if he /she has been appointed as a member in respect of one of the countries of the United Kingdom, in that country;
c) He / she ceases to be registered in the part of the Register in respect of which he /she was appointed;
d) He / she ceases to be wholly or mainly engaged in the practice, teaching, research or management of the Health Informatics profession;
e) An order has been made against him / her by the Council because of a serious and persistent deficiency in attendance at meetings or in his / her conduct.
24) If any adverse information or allegation against a Council member comes to the attention of the Council, the President shall instruct the Secretary to send a notice to that Council member:
a) Setting out details of the information or allegation;
b) Informing the member that the Council proposes to consider that information or allegation and that the member has a right to be heard before the Council;
c) Providing the member with 14 days in which to respond; and
d) Advising the member that, if the information or allegation is upheld, the member is liable to be removed from the Council.
25) Where a member responds to the Secretary expressing a wish to be heard by the Council, the Secretary shall convene a Special Meeting of the Council but the only business to be considered at that meeting shall be to consider the members’ response and whether or not to remove that member from the Council.
26) A member may be removed form Council by a majority of at least two-thirds of the elected members of the Council.
Council Meetings
27) The Council shall meet not less than four times in each year and at such other times as the Council shall decide.
28) All meetings shall be notified and held in accordance with the Articles of Association. The President shall normally take the chair at any meeting of the Council.
29) Where the directors agree any business required to be addressed by the members of the company in general meeting is confidential to the members of the company or a conflict of interest exists for any invited representative of another organisation, it shall be dealt with at the end of the agenda and all invited representatives of other organisations may be asked to leave the meeting.
30) The order of business at a meeting shall follow that set out in the agenda unless it is varied by the President with the consent of the Council.
31) A Council member may only initiate a debate or move a motion on a matter which is not on the agenda with the consent of the President.
32) Meetings shall start at the time set out in the notice of meeting and shall normally continue until all the business on the agenda has been disposed of but the duration of a meeting may only exceed four hours with the consent of the members of Council present.
33) In accordance with the Articles of Association the resolution of any matter at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of the members present and entitled to vote by a show of hands.
34) A resolution which is circulated to, and approved in writing or electronic form by, not less than three quarters of the Council members entitled to receive notice of and attend a meeting of the Council shall be as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting.
35) A Council member must speak to the subject under discussion. The President may call attention to any irrelevance, repetition, unbecoming language, or breach of order on the part of a member and, where the member persists in that conduct, may direct that member to cease speaking.
36) A Council member, who has a personal interest in any matter under consideration at a meeting, whether or not declared in the Register of Members’ Interests, shall promptly disclose that interest to the meeting and, unless the Council determines otherwise, the member shall withdraw from the meeting until the Council has concluded its consideration of that matter.
37) A ruling by the President on any question of order shall be final and shall not be open to debate.
38) The President may order a member to withdraw from a meeting if, in the opinion of the President, that member has persistently disregarded the ruling of the President or is behaving improperly, offensively or in a manner which is obstructing the business of the meeting.
39) In the event of a general disturbance which, in the opinion of the President, prevents the orderly conduct of business, the President may adjourn the meeting for such period as the President consider appropriate.
Attendance and Other Allowances.
40) Claims for payments, attendance allowances or expenses shall be made by Council members strictly in accordance with the scheme specified by the Director of Finance.
Appendix: The Seven Principles of Public Life
1) Selflessness
Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.
2) Integrity
Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.
3) Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
4) Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
5) Openness
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
6) Honesty
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
7) Leadership
Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
