BASEM Vote – Message from the President
Since I last wrote there have been further developments in the proposed discussions between the Faculty and the BASEM membership, which I believe our Members and Fellows should be aware of.
As you will be aware Dr Roger Hawkes – President of BASEM – and I wrote personally to our governing councils recommending that a period of – non-binding – discussion between our two organisations be held to decide the feasibility of us becoming one joint organisation.
It is the aspiration of the Faculty to become a College and ultimately Royal College, when the time is right and I believe it would be for the benefit of the specialty, and the health of the nation as a whole, for our organisations to join together in this aim.
The BASEM executive committee has now discussed this joint proposal from Roger and I and consequently they are seeking an ordinary written resolution from their members giving the BASEM executive permission to commence evaluating this proposal with the council of the Faculty.
For an ordinary resolution to be carried a majority of the eligible voting membership must support it. This means that more than 50% of the total membership must agree to the proposal before it can be enacted. It is not a simple majority of those who vote.
I hope the majority of the BASEM membership will support this resolution – as then we can start the process of discussion. However, this is a very high bar to leap and if it is not – then there will be no prospect of discussion on this subject in the foreseeable future. I believe this would be a missed opportunity.
The details of what a future College would look like needs to be debated – but the Faculty’s vision is that any future College should be multi-professional, embracing all elements of this branch of medicine including, primary and secondary care and professional sport. We need one unified voice, which can really make a difference to the health of UK and many other populations worldwide.
I hope you and yours remain well in this difficult time.
Dr John Etherington CBE FFSEM(UK) FRCP
