nominations invited for the following posts

Duties
Below is an outline of some of the duties of the Honorary Secretary. The Honorary Deputy Secretary will be involved in some of these activities during the two-year period prior to succession as Honorary Secretary.

• Commission articles and edit the BGS newsletter (6 issues a year).
• Liaison with external organisations; Department of Health, Royal Colleges, other specialist medical societies, voluntary organisations and allied professional groups.
• Liaison with the BGS Secretariat to help with enquiries from the press and public.
• With the other senior officers the Hon Secretary will have a key role in strategic planning. Both the Hon Secretary and Hon Deputy Secretary can expect to be involved in key projects during their term of office.
• The BGS Office reports to the Hon Secretary.

Term of office
Subject to endorsement by the membership at the AGM in October, the Honorary Deputy Secretary will serve for 2 years followed by another 2 years as Honorary Secretary.

Committees

• Both the Hon Secretary and the Hon Deputy Secretary attend the UK Management Committee (6 meetings a year).
• Other standing committees including Finance, Policy and Training are divided between the two positions (4 meetings a year for each committee).
• The Hon Secretary is also a member of the RCP & BGS Joint Geriatrics Committee.

All meetings take place in London.

Appointment process
Nominations should consist of a statement (no more than 150 words) setting out your suitability for the position. Please email this to Louise-Wykes@bgs.org.uk by Friday 2 May 2003.

Appointment will be by a postal ballot of the UK membership.

The BGS Spring Meeting is a three-day event usually held in mid April each year. Venues are currently booked for 2004 in Derry/Londonderry, 2005 in Birmingham and 2006 in Newcastle. The Spring Meetings Secretary is responsible for the educational content, social and financial aspects of each meeting. The term of office is 3 years from October 2003.

Duties

• Provide advice to the local organising committee about the scientific programme and organisational aspects of the meeting; this is likely to involve attending some or all of the local organising committee meetings and participating in site visits to the venue.
• Liaise with the CME Director and the Autumn Meetings Secretary to ensure continuity in the Society’s rolling CME programme.
• Co-ordinate the involvement of SIGs and Sections.
• Liaise with the Conference Organisers (Hampton Medical), in particular identifying opportunities for sponsorship, and being available throughout the meeting to provide advice and help where necessary.
• Assist with the adjudication of abstracts for the meeting.

Committees

• Academic & Research Committee (4 meetings a year in London)
• UK Management Committee (6 meetings a year in London). As a member of the UK Management Committee the post holder will be a director of the Society, and is expected to participate in the wider aspects of running the Society.
• Abstracts Adjudication Panel for each Spring Meeting (one meeting in January in London, usually on the morning before the Academic & Research Committee).

Nomination process
Nominations should consist of a brief CV and a supporting citation from the relevant regional or national branch, sent to Louise-Wykes@bgs.org.uk by Friday 6 June 2003.

The UKMC will vote on the nominations received at its meeting on 17 July 2003.