NHS GRAMPIAN HEALTHCARE SCIENCE AREA FORUM
CONSTITUTION
1. TITLE
2. FUNCTION
The function of the Forum is to advise the NHSG Board (the Board), directly or via the Area Clinical Forum, on the provision of scientific services, either at the Board's request, or on its own initiative and insodoing reflect the views of the professions locally.
The functions shall include:
a) Being involved in the planning process and influencing strategy.
b) In appropriate circumstances, to lead strategy development.
c) Identify local priorities for HCS service improvement exercises in the light of national programmes and targets.
d) To develop local implementation plans to ensure effective cross-discipline working and service provision and sustainable services.
e) To engage with and educate key referrers on appropriate use of healthcare science services.
f) To ensure that robust quality assurance systems are available for healthcare science services in both hospital and community settings.
g) To make recommendations to the Area Clinical Forum at the earliest stage on any strategies that are forthcoming.
h) To provide the Board with a scientific perspective on the development of the Local Health Plan and the Board's strategic objectives.
3. MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Membership will be open to all healthcare scientists working in Grampian. Healthcare scientists are members of the professional groups and associated scientific disciplines shown in appendix 1. Other disciplines may be included as appropriate.
3.2 Membership of the Forum will comprise of up to 5 members elected by their professional peers, from each of the 3 sections defined in Appendix 1, namely Life Sciences, Physiological Sciences and Physical Science.
3.3 The Board member responsible for HCS services will also be a member.
3.4 Each member of the Forum will have an alternate from the same professional group who will attend meetings, and may vote, in the absence of the main member. The main member should advise the alternate of progress, and of availability for meetings.
3.5 Persons other than members or alternates may be invited to attend for discussion of specific items, but will not have the right to vote. Notwithstanding this, members of the individual professions may attend for the purpose of professional development.
4. NOMINATIONS
Nominations for membership of the Forum will be accepted from all members of the professions in Grampian. Members of the professions will be responsible for, and administer, the election process.
5. FILLING OF CASUAL VACANCIES
When a vacancy occurs the nomination procedure will be invoked and the Forum shall seek to obtain a replacement member from the same professional group for the remainder of the term of office of the departing member only.
6. TERM OF OFFICE
Members will be appointed for a term of office of two years and will be eligible for re-election for one further consecutive term. Half of the Forum shall retire at each election.
7. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS
The Forum may recommend removal of members to the Board for the undernoted reasons:
a) Failure to attend three consecutive meetings
b) Failure to attend two-thirds of the meetings held in any one year
c) The member no longer represents the function under which he/she was appointed
8. OFFICE BEARERS
The Forum shall, at the April meeting every alternate year, appoint a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman. Both will be eligible for re-election for a maximum period of a further two years.
Where a member is appointed Chair of the Forum that term of office will take preference over the tenure of office of the original appointment.
Appointment to the membership of the Area Clinical Forum will be [Needs to be agreed with ACF]
9. SECRETARIAL SUPPORT
NHSG Board will provide secretarial services, together with accommodation for meetings, if required.
10. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
10.1 The Forum shall hold meetings at a frequency to coincide with meetings of the Area Clinical Forum.
10.2 Meetings shall be conducted by the Chairman, or in his/her absence, by the Vice-Chairman. If neither is present at the appointed time of the meeting, the members present shall elect a Chairman for the duration of the meeting.
10.3 A quorum shall consist of four elected and voting members.
10.4 In the event of a vote being taken, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote, in addition to his/her deliberative vote.
10.5 The Forum may invite a person or persons with particular knowledge or experience, to assist with Forum business. Such person(s) shall attend solely for that business, and shall have no voting rights.
10.6 The Secretary, in conjunction with the Chairperson, shall prepare an Agenda and shall circulate it to members at least five working days before the date of a meeting.
10.7 Following a meeting of the Forum, the Secretary will prepare a Minute, which will be circulated to members, and submitted to the next meeting for approval. Thereafter a copy will be sent to the Area Clinical Forum, and circulated, as appropriate.
10.8 An Extraordinary Meeting of the Forum will require to be called within 21 days upon receipt of a written request by at least three members.
11. FINANCE OF THE FORUM
. Reasonable expenses shall be paid by the Board.
12. WORKING GROUPS
The Forum may, from time to time, appoint ad hoc working groups, the composition of which will be determined by the nature of the issue to be considered.
13. APPROVAL AND ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
13.1 The Constitution, and any amendments, are subject to the approval of the NHSG Board.
13.2 Any proposed alteration to this Constitution should normally be tabled at a quorate meeting of the Forum. The text of any alteration will be circulated to all members of the Forum, with the Minute of the meeting, and the proposal shall be voted upon at the next quorate meeting of the Forum.
13.3 Any such proposed change shall be adopted, if approved, by a two-thirds majority of the voting members who vote at this second quorate meeting.
13.4 Where an alteration to the Constitution is limited to changes of names or titles, as a consequence of changes in NHS organisational structures and/or titles, such a proposal may be tabled and adopted by a unanimous vote of the voting members present at the meeting where the amendment is tabled. If the vote is not unanimous, then the procedure stated in 13.2 and 13.3 shall be followed.
14 . COMMENCEMENT
This Constitution shall be valid with immediate effect.
Appendix 1
Healthcare Science Disciplines
Life sciences | Physiological sciences | Physical sciences |
Main function Analysis, testing and interpretation of clinical samples and products. | Main function Observation and objective measurement of human performance. | Main function Using physics and engineering for patient imaging, measurement and treatments. |
Anatomical pathology Andrology Blood transfusion Cervical cytology Clinical biochemistry Clinical cytogenetics Clinical embryology Clinical immunology Electron microscopy External qa Haematology Haemostasis & thrombosis Hisotocompatability & immunogenetics Histo & cytopathology Molecular genetics Microbiology Phlebotomy Tissue banking Toxicology Virology | Audiology Hearing therapy Autonomic neurovascular Cardiac physiology Clinical perfusion Gastrointestinal physiology Neurophysiology Ophthalmic science Renal dialysis Respiratory physiology Sleep physiology Urodynamics Vascular technology Vision science | Biomechanical engineering Clinical measurement Diagnostic radiology Equipment management Information technology Maxillofacial prosthetics Medical electronics Medical engineering & design Medical illustration Nuclear medicine Radiation protection Radiotherapy physics Rehabilitation engineering Renal technology Ultrasound |
Adapted from Scottish Forum for Healthcare Science and the UK Federation for Healthcare Science definitions. |
Professional Groups in Healthcare Science
Group | What they do | Broad entry requirement |
Biomedical scientists | Analyse specimens from patients to provide data to help doctors diagnose and treat disease. Work ranges from hands-on, protocol-based laboratory investigations to assuring the clinical validity of increasingly complex and automated tests. | Approved degree co-terminous with HPC registration, or degree plus one year's in-service training. Optional science discipline-specific MSc to enable specialisation. |
Clinical scientists | Oversee specialist tests for diagnosing and managing disease. They work across all streams of HCS, advising doctors on using tests and interpreting data. They also carry out research on diseases and therapies. | Science degree plus four years' basic grade training which incorporates MSc-level specialisation. Optional higher specialist training to PhD to enable discipline-specific expertise. |
Clinical physiologists | Carry out physiological tests related to human performance such as, audiology, respiratory and neurophysiological measurements and interpretation, cardiology measurements and pacemaker set-up. Their particular front-line clinical contact with patients gives them a high public visibility. | The physiologist group is emerging as a separate degree-only stream. |
Clinical technologists | Have a presence across all three HCS streams and undertake diverse, hands-on aspects of service delivery. Examples include involvement in medical equipment services, radiation physics, genetics. | Mix of qualifications depending on discipline: vocational degrees, other science degrees and further education certificates / diplomas. |
Other healthcare scientists | Practice in areas such as clinical photography and maxillofacial prosthetics and technology. | Mix of entry qualification up to MSc level. |
Clinical/scientific assistants | HCS has a complement of support staff in a variety of roles who enable higher-level scientists to concentrate on more analytical and clinical tasks. Some HCS support staff, such as those in anatomical pathology and cervical cytology, perform visible specific higher-level analytical tasks under supervision that demand SVQ-level qualifications. | For most, no formal entry or professional body qualification. Option of SVQ-level qualification to supplement work-based learning. Specific groups may require up to level 3 (SCQF) qualification. |
Adapted from Safe, Accurate & Effective. SGHD |