policy

BSG Elections Policy

Purpose

Each year the BSG holds elections for positions on the Council, the section committees, Trainees section regional representatives, CSSC regional representatives, International Zonal leads and the Clinical Research Groups as vacancies become available.  

Participation on a committee enables members to contribute to the national work of the BSG.

All Society elections are carried out in line with its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
 

Scope

Election to any of the various BSG committees is only open to existing BSG members.  Individuals wishing to stand for elections should be BSG members of good standing for at least 12 months and ideally be an active members of the relevant section before the election starts. This document outlines who can stand, nominate and vote for various committees.
 

Elections Overview

Each year, the number of vacancies for each committee will be listed online, together with the positions available. This listing will be posted when the nominations open and will include the deadline by which nominations must be submitted.

All nominations are made through especially built election portal. The BSG uses a company called Civica Election Services to administrate elections. Members will be sent communications about upcoming elections when available. Candidates must submit a professional image of themselves and a short statement indicating their reasons for standing for election.

 

Council Elections Criteria

  • There will be 8 elected members of the Council
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer.
  • The nominee should have been a substantive (paid-up) member of the BSG for at least 3 years, being active on committees or sections so they have a good understanding of the work of the BSG
  • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing in good order
  • Taster members may not stand for election or vote.
  • Senior and Honorary members may vote but are excluded from standing
  • Retiring Elected Councillors cannot stand for re-election until 3 years have passed after their term
      

Clinical Research Group Committee Elections Criteria (IBD, Pancreas and Endoscopy)

  • A CRG will comprise a steering group of at least 10-12 people which should be representative of that area / function and represent a variety of regions within the UK. It should include at least one Trainee member and a Nurse.  
  • At least one member should be a current member of the relevant Section Committee
  • The steering group should ensure there is at least co-opted pathology, nutrition and paediatric/adolescent expertise. This must be for a maximum time as agreed by the chair
  • The Chair of the core steering group is a Consultant member who is elected by the other core members (including the Trainee member).
    • The Chair’s maximum continuous term of office is 6 years (two 3-year terms)
  • Committee term will be for 3 years but members may stand for re-election, serving for a maximum of a further 3 years if re-elected
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer.
  • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing in good order
  • Nominees should be BSG members of at least 6-12 months, be members of the relevant section and should be participating in or planning to participate in pertinent clinical research
  • Nominees should prepare a paragraph demonstrating their research credentials and upload their most up to date headshot.  They should be happy for this to be used as part of the election process.
  • Voting (ballot) takes place among members of that section (IBD, Endoscopy, Pancreas, etc).
  • Consultant-level applicants should have a higher degree and/or other relevant experience.
  • Taster members may not stand for election or vote.
  • Senior or Honorary members may vote but may not stand

Section Committee Elections Criteria (special interest committees)

  • There will be a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 members.
  • With the exception of the Chair of the Endoscopy and Liver sections who are appointed and sit on the Executive Committee, each committee will have a Chair and a Secretary elected by the committee members. They hold office for 2 years.
    • If a Chair is passed to an individual who has greater than 1 year, but not 3 years term before demitting the committee, then that individual may stand for re-election until the end of their term as chair
    • Committee members who are due to demit, may not be elected as Chair or Secretary
  • There will be one committee position ring-fenced for a Trainee member in each section committee and a Nurse member
  • The committee has the power to co-opt new members but only for a time defined period and defined task
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer.
    • Nominees should be a member of the BSG for at least 6-12 months, and must belong to the section for which they are standing (indicate their preferences in BSG profile).
    • Retiring members can stand for re-election to the same office if there are insufficient nominees
    • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing 
  • Senior, Honorary or International members may vote but are excluded from standing
  • Taster members may not stand for election or vote
  • Any other member who is a member of the section, is eligible to vote


Trainees Committee Regional Representatives Elections Criteria

  • The Trainees’ Section comprises a regional representative of each of the 18 deaneries plus 2 IMT/FY representatives.
  • The appointment term for regional representative is 2 years
  • There will be a Chair and two Deputy Chairs elected from within the committee.  They will hold office for 1 year
  • The Chair will sit on the Council
  • The demitting Chair sits on the Trainees Committee for a further 1 year in a supporting role as an ex-officio
  • Trainees must be ST3 and above and be training in the region they are standing for
  • Regional representative candidates must have a minimum 2 years remaining prior to CCT from the time of taking up the role
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer and should be members of BSG for at least 6-12 months before nominating.
  • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing 
  • Any member who is a member of the section and that region, except Taster members, are eligible to vote for a Regional Representative.
  • IMT (Internal Medical Trainee)/FY (Foundation year) positions are held for 2 years
    • This position is not elected by wider membership - instead, their application is reviewed by the Trainees Section Committee, but can be advertised alongside other roles
    • IMT nominated Trainees must hold a BSG Taster membership and be starting an IMT post in the July/August of that year
    • IMT/FY candidates apply for the position by providing a statement of 250 words max explaining why they aspire to be on the committee and how they can contribute based on their skill sets and experience
    • FY candidates will be starting their post in the July/August of that year
  • Terms run June-June, to coincide with the annual conference. In the event that the annual conference is moved, a handover day In June will be set at the discretion of the outgoing Chair.
 

CSSC Committee Regional Representatives (England) Elections Criteria

  • The CSSC Committee comprises a regional representative of each of the 11 English regions plus 3 Devolve Nations representatives.
  • There will be a Chair, Deputy Chair/Quality Improvement Lead and Guideline Lead who are appointed and sit on the Executive Committee or Council. They will hold office for 2 years
  • The Chair will sit on the Council
  • Committee representative term will be for 3 years but members may stand for re-election, serving for a maximum of a further 3 years if re-elected
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer and should be members of BSG for at least 6-12 months before nominating.
  • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing 
  • Any member, except Taster members, are eligible to vote for a Regional Representative.

International Committee Zonal leads Elections Criteria

  • The International Committee comprises of a 4 Development Zones who cover areas like: Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and  Americas and Caribbean.
  • There will be a Chair and Deputy Chair who are appointed and sit on the Executive Committee. They will hold office for 2 years
  • The Chair will sit on the Council
  • Zonal lead term will be for 3 years but members may stand for re-election, serving for a maximum of a further 3 years if re-elected
  • Eligible Members self-nominate with the support of a proposer and should be members of BSG for at least 6-12 months before nominating.
  • The proposer must be an existing BSG member of >1 years standing 
  • Any member, except Taster members, are eligible to vote for a Regional Representative.


Responsibilities

  • The nominator must have the permission of the nominee and provide their BSG membership number. Nominations submitted without the permission of the nominee will be rejected.
  • The nominator must select and complete the correct nomination form with the individual standing.
  • The nominee must complete a personal statement of no more than 250 words outlining why they consider they are the best candidate and up


Definitions

ST3 - Specialty trainee, third year
IMT - Internal Medicine Training
FY - Foundation Year Training


Review Cycle

BSG will review this policy at least annually and may at any time withdraw this policy or publish replacement or revised versions of this policy to reflect developments in the business, or changes to legislation or procedures.