South-West Regional Representative
Michael
Clarke
Milne Centre for Sexual Health
Bristol Royal Infirmary
Lower Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8HW
Tel: 0117 928 3011/3010
Email: michael.clarke@ubht.swest.nhs.uk
The counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. The non-metropolitan districts of Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Torbay. The Isles of Scilly
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES SSHA: Roles & responsibilities
To gain and feed information from:
- SSHA council meetings
- SSHA regional meetings
- MSF national circulars
- MSF local newsletters/meetings
- Individual health advisers
Process
Council Meetings
Regional representatives should attend meetings (Where there is only one regional representative a deputy should be annually nominated who will attend this meeting in the regional representatives absence).
The representative should act as an advocate of their region at the council. The regional representative should produce a regional report for each council meeting.
Regional Meetings
Regional representatives should organise regular meetings. These should be:
- At least quarterly
- Held at an accessible site(s) time(s) to be agreed by members
- A forum for learning, the representative should organise speakers as agreed by the members (a limited amount of money is available for speakers)
- A focus to discuss relevant local issues
- A meeting place for health advisers – especially for isolated health advisers
The regional representative will:
- Promote and support the aims of the Society of Health Advisers in Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Support Council constructively in carrying out its duties
- Contribute to meetings and take on specific tasks, from time to time, as agreed by council
- Be elected annually. Elections for regional representatives shall take place annually. Normally the election shall take place at the last regional meetings prior to the AGM and the results of regional elections shall be notified to the secretary within two weeks of the election at which they will have assumed office. Prior to the meeting the regional representative will circulate a copy of the guidance for regional representatives to all regional members, together with a letter asking for nominations.
- Be the first point of contact for health advisers experiencing problems e.g. regrading, disciplinary, legal and ethical issues. The representatives should assess the problems with a national officer and identify their best resources e.g. local MSF representative officer.
- Aim to encourage contact with new health advisers in their region, invite them to a regional meeting, and encourage them to joint SSHA/MSF and to liaise with the Recruitment Secretary/Membership Secretary
- Take responsibility to find out what has happened at a meeting that they or their deputy have been unable to attend (eg council/regional meetings).
- Acknowledge the different structures and needs within and between different regions and health authorities
- Be aware of the region, its geographical make-up and update the membership details and co-ordinate this with the Membership Secretary