IHEEM’s 15 June Council meeting, attended by 15 members, and presided over by President Paul Kingsmore, saw a major focus on the Council’s Modernisation Plan for the Institute.
The Plan, which was agreed during the previous, March meeting, proposed amending the Institute’s managing Articles of Association to reduce the Council’s size from 25 to 13 trustee/directors, and the number of committees from eight to six. Having received a report and presentation from Compass Partnership on their skills assessment questionnaire, completed by all members, the Council debated a number of issues and options before voting to recommend to the Institute that a future Council of 13 members be skill-based, with vacancies advertised against a skills specification, with some guidelines to ensure appropriate representation, in a process similar to applying for a job. (a system successfully used by other institutes). It was decided to further develop the issue before final consideration at the next Council meeting on 19 August. The work to reduce the number of committees was deferred until the Council had received a report from the current Executive Committee. It was also agreed that the Institute’s AGM, traditionally held in London, will now move from its May date to coincide with IHEEM’s annual conference, with the first such AGM to be held in Manchester in November 2011. The Council also considered a paper addressing concerns over the low take-up of registrations for the Institute’s two Authorising Engineer Registers of “Decontamination” and “Medical Gas Pipeline Systems”, and, noting the increasing legal obligations concerning the contribution volunteers give to further IHEEM’s work, approved a policy setting out legal understanding for both the Institute and volunteers detailing their respective obligations. On receiving the draft Institute Business Plan 2010-2013, the Council decided it needed further work, and requested that the Executive Committee re-present the Plan at the next Council meeting. The Council received and noted the Institute’s Risk Assurance Framework, and the International Committee chair reported on preparations for IHEEM’s application to host the 2014 International Federation of Hospital Engineering Congress (see story above).
