Our Constitution

Revised 2010

1. NAME

The name of the Association is Patients on Intravenous and Naso-Gastric Nutrition Therapy (PINNT) (hereinafter called the Association).

2. OBJECTIVES AND POWERS

The Association is established to relieve people/carers who are living with an illness which enquires treatment by Intravenous and Enteral nutrition therapy. The Association will have the power to:-

Encourage contact between members.
To increase public awareness of the treatments/conditions.
To establish a welfare fund to provide members with assistance not available from the National Health Service.
To encourage research and to work closely with the medical profession concerning all aspects of the treatments.
To promote International exchange of news and views.
Employ and pay any person or persons to supervise, organise and carry out the work of the Association and make all reasonable and necessary provision for the payment of pensions and superannuation to or on behalf of employees and their widows and other dependents.
Establish where necessary local groups.
Bring together representatives of voluntary organisations, government departments, statutory authorities and individuals.
Promote and carry out or assist in promoting and carrying out research surveys and investigations and publish the results.
Arrange and hold exhibitions, meetings, lectures, classes, seminars and training courses.
Undertake, execute, manage or assist any charitable trusts which may lawfully be undertaken, executed, managed or assisted by the Association.
Produce and circulate appropriate information in current and relevant format.
Purchase, take on lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and any rights and privileges necessary for promotion of the said objects and construct, maintain and alter any buildings or erections necessary for the work of the Association.
Make regulations for any property which may be so acquired.
Subject to such consents as may be required by law, sell, let, mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or assets of the Association.
Subject to such consents as may be required by law, borrow or raise money for the said objects and accept gifts of such terms and on such security as shall be deemed necessary.
Invest the monies of the Association not immediately required for the said objects in or upon such investments, securities or property as may be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions (if any) as may for the time being be imposed or required by law.
Do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the said objects.

3. MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Association shall be open to:
- Full membership - patients of whatever age. From time to time the Executive Committee may levy a fee as determined.
- Associate membership – persons of whatever age, or cooperated or unincorporated not for profit organisation. From time to time the Executive Committee may levy a fee as determined.
- Corporate membership of the Association. From time to time the Executive Committee may levy a fee as determined.
All members of the association will be entitled to one vote. A parent or guardian will be entitled to vote on behalf of a junior member.
Honorary members may be appointed at the discretion of the said Executive Committee. Honorary Members shall not be entitled to vote.
The said Executive Committee shall have the rights:-
1. To approve or reject applications for membership.
2. For good and sufficient reason to terminate the membership of any person or organisation proved that the individual member concerned or the individual representing such organisation (as the case may be) shall have the right to be heard by the said Executive Committee before a final decision is made.

4. HONORARY OFFICERS

At the Annual General Meeting hereinafter mentioned the Association shall elect a Chair person, a Vice Chair, a General Secretary, a Treasurer and such other Honorary Officers as the association shall from time to time decide.
The Chair person and Honorary Officers of the Association shall hold office for a term of one year but shall be eligible for re-election at the AGM.
The association shall appoint an external auditor or independent examiner and may determine their remuneration (if any).

5. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee, called the EC, shall meet not less than 4 a times a year and when complete shall consist not less than 3 members.
The members of the EC shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Association in accordance with Clause 7 hereof.
Election to the EC shall be for one year. The entire EC shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.
The EC have the power to co-opt appropriate individuals as they feel fit. The co- opted member(s) will hold office until the next AGM at which they will retire but be eligible for election.
The EC has the ability to remunerate officers as appropriate.
The EC may appoint such special or standing committees as may be deemed necessary. The EC will determine their terms of reference, powers, duration and composition.

6. LOCAL GROUPS

The EC shall have power to establish local groups. Each group so established will comply and be subject to the following regulations:-

Each local group will look to further the work of the charities objectives as listed in section 2.
The title of the branch shall be subject to the prior approval of the EC. No branch shall be entitled to use the expression Patients on Intravenous and Naso Gastric Nutrition Therapy (PINNT) unless prior permission is granted from the EC.
The local group will follow the rules as set by time to time by the EC.
The EC must approve representation any external representation within a local group.
All monies raised by local groups should be forwarded to PINNT’s Treasurer.

7. MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The First General meeting of the Association shall be held not later than 1st May 1988, and once in each year thereafter an Annual General Meeting of the Association months after holding of the proceeding Annual General Meeting) and place as the EC shall determine. At least 21 clear days’ notice shall be given in writing by the General Secretary to each member. At such Annual General meeting the business shall include the Election of Honorary Officers; the Election of members to serve on the EC the consideration of an annual report of the work done by or under the auspices of the EC and of the approved external independent examiners accounts the transaction of such other matters as may from time to time be necessary.
The Chair person of the EC may at any time at their discretion, and the General Secretary must within 21 days of receiving a written request so to do, signed by not less than 50% of members and giving reasons for the request, call a Special General Meeting of the Association.

8. NOMINATIONS OF HONORARY OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Full or Associate Members of the Association shall be eligible to serve as Honorary Officers and Members of the EC. Nominations for Honorary Officers or members of the EC must be made by Members of the Association in writing and must be in the hands of the General Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot (OR election shall be by a system of postal voting).

9. RULES OF PROCEDURE AT AGM/SGM MEETINGS

Quorum The quorum at a meeting of the Association or of the EC or any committee appointed under Clause 5 (h) hereof shall be twenty percent of the total actual membership of the Association for the time being, the Committee (as the case may be) or other such number as the Association may in General Meeting from time to time determine.
Voting All questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by simple majority * of those present and entitled to vote. Arrangements for proxy voting may from time to time be made by the EC provided that no such arrangements shall be made with regard to clauses 12 and 13. No person shall exercise more than one vote notwithstanding that he or she may have been appointed to represent two or more interests, but in case of equal numbers of votes the chair person has the casting vote.
Minutes shall be kept by the EC, and the appropriate secretary shall maintain a record of all proceedings and resolutions.
Standing Orders and rules The EC shall have the power to adopt and issue standing orders and/or rules for the Association. Such Standing Orders and/or Rules shall come into operation immediately provided always that they shall be subject to review by the Association in General Meeting and shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution.

* except as provided for in Clauses 12 or 13 herein.

10. FINANCE

PINNT is a not-for-profit organisation.
The Honorary Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the Association.
The accounts will be checked once a year by the independent examiner and presented in accordance with current Charity Commission Legislation.
A statement of the accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the EC to the Annual General Meeting.
A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Association. Bank accounts can be opened as deemed appropriate by the EC and all cheques and internet transactions signed approved by two authorised signatories.

All legacies bequeathed to the Association shall be received by the Treasurer or other appropriate officers of the Association but, subject to any special trusts by which such legacies may be left.

11. TRUST PROPERTY

The title to all property which has been acquired by or on behalf of the Association shall be vested in a corporation lawfully entitled to act as Custodian Trustee. Custodian Trustees may not be a member of the EC.

12. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any alterations of this Constitution shall receive the assent of not less than fifty percent of the membership of the Association for the time being whether individual or representative present and voting at a meeting specially called for the purpose provided that notice of any such alteration shall have been received by the General Secretary in writing not less than 21 clear days before the meeting at which the alteration is to be proposed. At least 14 clear days’ notice in writing of such a meeting, setting forth the terms of the alterations, shall be sent by the General Secretary to each member of the Association providing that no alteration shall be made which would have the effect of causing the Association to cease to be a Charity at law. Unrecorded votes will be placed with the chair person to vote accordingly.

13. DISSOLUTION

If the charity trustees decide that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the charity, they shall realise any assets held by or on behalf of the charity. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred by the charity trustees to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the charity as the charity trustees may decide, or failing that, shall be applied by the charity trustees for some other charitable purpose.

14. NOTICES

Any notice may be served by the General Secretary on any member either personally or on its appointed representative as the case may be, or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his, her or its last known address in the United Kingdom, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within ten days of posting.