Constitution of the Friends of St Lawrence Surgery

Title

The Group will be called the Friends of St Lawrence Surgery Patient Participation Group. “St Lawrence Surgery PPG”

Objects

To relieve the sickness and preserve the health amongst persons permanently or temporarily within the area served by the St Lawrence Surgery, by providing or assisting in the provision of equipment and facilities.

Mission Statement

In the light of this object, our Mission Statement is:

To raise funds and receive donations and bequests for the provision and maintenance of medical and/or ancillary equipment not normally available from statutory or Practice funds in consultation with the Practice Manager;
To provide the patient perspective in the planning and commissioning of practice-based services;
To liaise with other patient support groups locally and nationally in the interests of patient engagement;
To liaise with the Coastal West Sussex Federation and the National Association for Patient Participation or other appropriate bodies in the interests of patient engagement;
To promote health education and awareness of health-related issues in the local community.

The committee is not a forum for patient’s individual or collective complaints regarding any aspect of the surgery. If employees of the surgery wish to consult the committee on any aspect it is their prerogative to do so. We are a platform for discussion but not complaints – the surgery deals directly with these.

Membership

All patients of the St Lawrence Surgery. There is no membership subscription and no formal list of members.

Management

The Group will be managed by the Chairperson, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer together with up to eight other committee members. The officers will be issued with generic job descriptions which are subject to change and review. No individual member may remain on the committee for more than four years. This may only be extended on a yearly basis by full agreement of the committee.
Committee members will, by agreement, undertake specific roles during the course of the year – these may include Vice-Chair, Publicity & IT, Health Library Co-ordinator, Minute Secretary, Draw & Raffle Co-ordinator.
A member of the committee shall cease to hold office if he or she:
1. is disqualified from acting as a member of the committee by virtue of Section 45 of the Charities Act 1992 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision), o
2. notifies the committee that they wish to resign, or
3. imisses three consecutive meetings without an acceptable reason.
Officers and other committee members will be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will serve until the commencement of the next Annual General Meeting. All nominations for Officers and committee must be made on the official nomination form, outlining personal details and qualities, and forwarded to the Secretary at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting. Nominations after this date will be deemed void. No oral nominations may be made at the meeting. Election may be by a show of hands or a ballot depending on which is deemed to be more appropriate at the time.
The committee shall have the power to co-opt other members from time to time as seen fit.
Any of the staff of the St Lawrence Surgery are encouraged to attend meetings of the committee, by their own request or prior invitation.
An Independent Examiner of accounts, who shall not be a member of the committee, shall be appointed by the committee. This person to be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
Only Officers and any authorised committee member will have access to the Patient Participation Group web-site in order to update publicity and information.
There will be no circumstances where any member of the Patient Participation Group will have any access to patient medical records.

Meetings

There will each year be an Annual General Meeting, the date of which shall be at the discretion of the committee.
Notice of the Annual General Meeting given by a notice posted in the patients’ waiting area of the St Lawrence Surgery at least fourteen days previously.
Other general meetings may be similarly called by the committee or by written request of not less than ten members of the Group to the Secretary of the committee.
Each and every patient of the Surgery is welcome to attend general meetings without prior personal invitation or acceptance.
Committee members shall normally have at least seven days clear notice of committee meetings.
At all meetings the chair of the meeting shall have a vote. In addition the chair shall have a casting vote in the event of a tied vote.
At committee meetings a quorum shall consist of five members.
Minutes of general and committee meetings will be posted on the surgery notice board and the Patient Group’s section
The officers may hold electronic/telephone meetings between committee meeti

Amendments to the Constitution

No alteration to this Constitution may be made except at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for this purpose. No amendments or alterations shall be made without the prior written permission of the Charity Commission to Clauses 2, 6 and 9 and no alteration shall be made which could cause the Association to cease to be a charity in law. Alterations to the Constitution shall receive the assent of two-thirds of the members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special general Meeting

Finance

The financial year of the Group shall start on 1 January.
The funds will be kept in a bank or building society account in the name of the Friends of St Lawrence Surgery Patient Participation Group.
An independently examined Financial Statement shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting for adoption.
The fund shall be administered by the Treasurer.
Signatures on cheques shall be two of three members nominated by the committee, but one signatory shall be either the Chairperson or Secretary.
Interim expenditure, the amount to be agreed annually by the committee, can be authorised by the Chairperson and one other signatory between committee meetings if necessary. The expenditure must be reported at the next committee meeting.
Officers, committee members and associated persons may reclaim authorised expenses for goods, travel and other purchases providing appropriate receipts are provided.

Insurance

The activities of the Group will be covered by an appropriate £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance. The Treasurer is responsible for making sure that this is in place to cover activities in and around the surgery and also off-site.

Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Association a Special General Meeting shall be called at which at least twenty-one days’ notice shall be given to all members. The Association shall be deemed dissolved upon three-quarters of the voting members at the meeting voting in favour of it.

After the settling of all liabilities any assets whatsoever shall not be paid or distributed among members of the Association but shall be given or transferred to some other charitable organisation having objects similar to those of the Association as the Committee may determine, or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose. A copy of the statement of accounts or account and statement for the final accounting period of the Association must be sent to the Commissioners.

Notes

The Friends of St Lawrence Surgery Patient Participation Group is a Registered Charity (Reg. No. 1064542) and notwithstanding the above constitution is bound by the requirements of HM Charity Commissioners and other legislation from time to time.

The Friends of St Lawrence Surgery Patient Participation Group is affiliated to the National Association of Patient Participation Groups (NAPP).

This Constitution, dating from 1997, was amended by resolution approved at the Annual General Meeting held on 19 May 2011 and again by resolution approved at the Special General Meeting held on 21 January 2014.