Critical Care Residents In Training South East conference (CRIT-SE)

Constitution (Unincorporated Association)
1. Name
The name of the association is Critical Care Residents in Training South East Conference (“the Association”).

2. Status
The Association is a not-for-profit, unincorporated association run by resident doctors. The Association is not established for private profit.

3. Aims and objectives
The Association’s aims are to:

1. Plan, organise and deliver the Critical Care Residents in Training South East Conference and related educational events.
2. Promote education, learning, and professional development for Intensive Care Medicine residents/trainees and allied participants.
3. Use any surplus funds solely to further the Association’s aims (including future conferences), and not to distribute profits to individuals.

4. Conference frequency and rotating host deanery

1. The Association will organise one (1) conference per calendar year.
2. Responsibility for organising and hosting the conference will rotate between the following deaneries in this order: o ​Wessex o ​Thames Valley
​o ​Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS)
3. Wessex will host the first conference, followed by Thames Valley, then KSS, and then repeating in the same order in subsequent years.
4. The Committee may agree practical arrangements to support handover between host deaneries (e.g., shared documents, account access, transfer of records), provided the not-for-profit nature and financial controls in this constitution are maintained.

5. Powers
To further its aims, the Association may:

• Raise funds via ticket sales, sponsorship, grants, and donations;
• Enter contracts and make payments for venues, catering, audiovisual services, marketing, insurance, and other conference costs;
• Maintain a bank account in the Association’s name.

6. Committee (management)
The Association is managed by a Committee responsible for governance, finance and delivery of the conference.

Named committee members (initial committee as of May 2026):

• Chair: Dr Chloe Parfitt
• Treasurer/Sponsorship: Dr David Walker
• Speakers Lead: Dr Luke Bracegirdle
• Website: Dr Samuel Bhattacharjee
• Venue Lead: Dr Eleanor Green
• Speakers: Dr Daniel Wagstaff
• Kent, Surrey, Sussex rep: Dr Neil Botting
• Thames Valley Rep: Dr Odhran Keating

The Committee may co-opt additional members as required and record this in meeting minutes.

7. Meetings and decisions
• The Committee will meet as required (in person or online).
• Decisions are made by a simple majority of those present.
• The Chair has a casting vote in the event of a tie.
• The Committee will keep basic minutes of decisions, especially those relating to finances and contracts.

8. Finance and banking

1. Bank account: The Committee will open and maintain a bank account in the name of the Association.

2. Signatories: There will be a minimum of two signatories on the account. The initial signatories shall be:
• Dr Chloe Parfitt (Chair)
• Dr David Walker (Treasurer/Sponsorship)
• Dr Eleanor Green (venue lead)

3. Dual authorisation: All payments or transfers above £250 (or any lower limit set by the Committee) must be authorised by two signatories. Where the bank provides it, online banking should be configured for dual authorisation.

4. Use of funds: Funds must only be used to deliver the Association’s aims and pay legitimate conference-related costs.

5. Records: The Treasurer will keep records of income and expenditure and provide a summary to the Committee on request and at least after the conference.

6. Expenses: Committee members may be reimbursed for reasonable, evidenced expenses incurred on behalf of the Association, subject to prior approval (where practical) by the Treasurer and Chair, and recorded in the accounts.

9. Conflicts of interest
Any Committee member with a financial or personal interest in a proposed supplier/sponsor arrangement must declare it. The remaining Committee members should decide how to manage the conflict (e.g., the conflicted member abstains from that decision).

10. Amendments
This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the Committee, recorded in minutes, provided the not-for-profit nature of the Association is preserved.

11. Dissolution
If the Association is dissolved, after paying outstanding liabilities, any remaining funds must be:

• transferred to a not-for-profit organisation with similar educational aims, or
• ring-fenced to support a future iteration of the residents’ conference under a successor committee,
as decided by the Committee and recorded in minutes. No remaining funds may be distributed to individuals.

12. Adoption
This constitution was adopted on: 05/03/2026 Signed by the Committee.