Benenden Healthcare: Society Branches

Branches form the democratic structure by which Society members are able to have a say in how the Society is run. Branches have three main responsibilities:

To enable members in a particular area or department to get together and bring forward their collective views on how the Society should be run
To send a delegation of members to represent these views at Conference
To nominate members of the branch for election to Committee of Management, Society Secretary or other posts.

The Society’s Rule Book describes how branches are formed, what they do and when they have to do it. Further information on their role appears below.

When you become a member you are automatically allocated to a branch. There are two kinds of branch – local and national. There are twelve national branches which are made up of members who work, or used to work, for one of the main Civil Service departments (such as the Home Office or the Ministry of Defence). Local branches are organised by postcode – we currently have thirty-five local branches covering the whole of the UK. If you belong to a national branch you may choose to transfer to a local branch if the meeting venues or times are more convenient.

Where are our branches?

Here is a list of our branches and the postcodes / Civil Service departments they cover.

Geographic (local) branches

Burnley & Blackburn	BB
Central	AL HP LU MK SG WD
Devon & Cornwall	EX PL TQ TR
East Anglia	IP NR
East of Scotland	EH KY ML TD
Essex	CM CO SS
Gloucester & Swindon	GL SN
Greater Manchester	BL M OL SK WN
Kent & Sussex	CT DA ME TN
Lancashire & Cumbria	CA FY LA PR
Lincoln & South Yorkshire	DN LN S
London City & East	E EC
London North	EN HA N NW UB
London South	BR CR KT SM TW
London South East	SE
London West	SW W WC
Mersey	CH41 - 49 & 60 - 66 IM L WA
Mid Wales, Borders & Staffs	HR ST SY TF
Midlands	LE NN
Midlands West	B CV DY WR WS WV
North East	DH DL NE SR TS
North Wales & Cheshire	CH (except C41 - 49 & 60 - 66) CW LL
North Yorkshire & Humberside	HG HU YO
Northern Ireland	BT
Nottingham & Derby	DE NG
Peterborough & Cambridge	CB PE
Romford & Ilford	IG RM
South Central	BH BN GU GY JE PO RH SO SP
South Wales	CF NP
Tayside & North of Scotland	AB DD FK IV KW PH ZE
West Central	OX RG SL
West of Scotland	DG G HS KA PA
West Wales	LD SA
West Yorkshire	BD HD HX LS WF
Western Counties	TA BA BS DT

Civil Service national branches

Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform

Cabinet Office & HM Treasury

Department for Children, Schools & Families / Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills

Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Department of Health, Work & Pensions

Department for Transport / Department for Community & Local Government (DfT/DCLG)

HM Revenue & Customs

Home Office

Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Ministry of Justice / Land Registry

National Savings

Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS)

Which branch do I belong to?

If you are not sure from the above lists which branch you are allocated to, you can call us on 0845 052 5755* and leave a message, or email: thesecretary@benenden.org.uk.

* Calls cost a maximum of 4p per minute for BT customers. The price of calls from non BT phone lines will vary. Calls may be recorded.

How do members get involved with their branch?

Each year, branches hold two general meetings for all members before the Society’s Annual Conference. Some branches also hold a third meeting later in the year to report back from Conference. You will be sent a letter notifying you of the dates and venues of their meetings at the beginning of each year, and you are strongly encouraged to attend because this is your chance to make your voice heard and put your suggestions forward. If you are not able to attend your branch meetings, you are welcome to send your views directly to the Society Secretary.

Please click here to see a list of Branch Meeting Dates for 2008.

What happens at branch meetings?

Branches hold two or three general meetings a year and this is the sort of business they will usually discuss:

Meeting 1 is usually the branch’s AGM:

An update on Society services, trials and other developments is given, usually by a member of the CoM or Society Secretary
The Branch Chairman and Secretary give their reports for the previous year
The Branch Treasurer gives a report on the branch’s financial position
Branch Committee and Officers (Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman) are elected for the coming year. If you are interested in any of these positions, please speak to your Branch Secretary when you arrive at the meeting
Any suggested changes to the Society’s rules or services are discussed and propositions prepared for submission to Conference
A number of members are elected as delegates to represent the branch at Conference
Any nominations to Society Officer posts (CoM, Secretary etc)

Meeting 2 is called a ‘mandating’ meeting. The agenda for the forthcoming Conference is circulated and each proposition (either potential rule change or a motion on a particular topic) is debated. The branch will then instruct its elected delegates on how to vote on each proposition at Conference.

Meeting 3 is held by some branches following Conference in order to give a report on the outcomes of Conference and to give further updates on Society business.

What do branch committees do?

Each branch is run by a group of volunteer members who want to be more actively involved and who give their time generously to support the Society. These volunteers form a committee which consists of a Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary plus a number of other members. The branch committees meet occasionally to discuss forthcoming Society events, the latest information sent to them about Society business and developments, and to plan their own branch general meetings and events.

In total, the Society’s forty-seven branches are run by around six hundred and fifty volunteer committee members. Part of the Society Secretary’s role is to communicate with these volunteers on a regular basis to keep them up to date with Society business, developments and future strategy. This helps the branches to make informed decisions and suggestions about future changes when they come to Conference.

Further information

To contact us for more information about the role and work of branches you can:

Email: thesecretary@benenden.org.uk

Call: 0845 052 5755* and leave a message

Write to: The Society Secretary, The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, Holgate Park Drive, York YO26 4GG

* Calls cost a maximum of 4p per minute for BT customers. The price of calls from non BT phone lines will vary. Calls may be recorded.

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* Calls cost a maximum of 4p per minute for BT customers. The price of calls from non-BT lines will vary. Calls may be recorded
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