Nominations are now open for election to the Association Board
Do you want to make a difference to the specialty by advocating for change, influencing educational initiatives, engaging with the anaesthesia community, all while enhancing your professional development and gaining leadership opportunities? Why not nominate yourself to run for election to the Association board?
We invite members to self-nominate to run for election to the Association board. The deadline for submission has been extended to 17:00 on Tuesday 9 April 2024.
We have three seats available this year. Nominees must be a full member on either the Consultant or SAS/NCHD membership category. Members must be in current practice (not retired), based in the UK or Ireland and in good standing with a current GMC or IMC registration.
How to nominate
The nomination and election process will be run by Civica Election Services. Submit your application using the online nomination portal which will be open until the extended deadline of 17:00 on Tuesday 9 April 2024. The nomination form will ask for your personal details, information of your supporters (you’ll need a proposer and a seconder who are also full Association members), a 250-word personal statement, and a photo. You can edit your nomination any time up until the extended deadline of 17:00 on Tuesday 9 April 2024. Examples of the personal statements made by the successful candidates in 2023 are available for reference on the Association website.
If you have any questions about the nomination process or your responsibilities as a board member, please contact [email protected].
Eligibility
Nominees and supporters must be:
- A full member of the Association (either the Consultant or SAS/NCHD membership rate)
- In current practice (not retired), based in the UK or Ireland
- In good standing with a current GMC or IMC registration
All candidates must agree to comply with the Association of Anaesthetists Election canvassing guidelines.
About the board
The board of the Association is a dynamic and diverse group of consultants and SAS doctors with a common goal. You may have met some of our board members at our events; why not read some of our interviews with our officers to find out more about why they chose to join the board.
Improving the diversity of the board is a key aim of ours. If you don’t feel represented and that is something you’d like to change, why not stand for election? You could be instrumental in delivering our five-year strategy, shaping the future of the Association and the specialty.
Why should you stand for election?
Quite simply, without the passion or drive of its elected members, the Association would not be able to deliver on its aims.
We need a board that represents our membership. We are a diverse specialty in terms of personal characteristics, life experience and sub-specialty interest and we need to ensure that our board reflects this. We want individuals with varying viewpoints, to allow healthy discussion at board and committee meetings. We do not want to become a silo or an echo chamber.
In May 2022, Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) executives and NHS chief executives were encouraged to look favourably on requests from doctors seeking support to undertake national or regional work for the wider benefit of the public and of health services across England and the devolved administrations. Please view the letter of support from Prof Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, England, Prof Stephen Powis, Medical Director, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Angela Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, Prof Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Prof Dame Carrie MacEwen, Chair GMC.
What does being an elected board member involve?
The board are the custodians of the Association and are committed to ensuring that the current and next generations of anaesthetists are professionally supported and that patients continue to be in safe hands.
If you are successfully elected, you will become both a company director of the Association (the membership organisation) and a director and trustee of the foundation (the charitable arm of the Association) and serve for a four-year term. You will also be elected to the Association Council where you will meet presidents of other organisations and key figures within the wider specialty.
You will be fully supported during your term by members of the board and staff members. You will also receive regular training and development sessions in relevant areas by experts in their field, such as charity legislation, financial regulation and public affairs to help you in your role as a director and trustee.
Elected members are expected to attend six board meetings a year, and join a number of sub-committees based on your areas of interest, held two or three times a year. Our board and committee meetings are held on Fridays so for that reason, if you intend to stand, we strongly recommend that you discuss your plans in advance with your Clinical Director to allow variations in your workplan to allow you to attend meetings on a Friday.
Meetings will be either held in London or as a virtual meeting. There will always be an option to attend virtually if you would prefer not to travel. The role of a board member is unremunerated, but reasonable travel expenses will be paid.
Next steps
After the nomination deadline, all applications will be checked for eligibility and only those meeting the eligibility requirements will be progressed. Should more nominations be received than the available seats on the board, an election will be held. Full members and trainee members will be eligible to vote in the election.
Successful candidates will commence their term on the Association board from the Annual Members’ Meeting at the Annual Congress 2024 in Harrogate, 25-27 September 2024.