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Standards Ethics Constitution Fees Application Form

The Constitution of The Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners

Article 1

The name of the organisation shall be:
"The Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners"
followed in brackets by the initials of the Country in which the branch is based.
The Head Office will remain in the UK.

Article 2. Aims and Objectives

To promote and enhance the practice, research and development of both scientific and traditional Herbal Medicine Worldwide.
To operate within Europe as a part of the European Herbal Practitioners Association.
To co-operate with any individual or organisation with similar aims and objectives.

Article 3. Membership

Any person over the age of 21 years shall be entitled to apply for Membership. The grant of Membership shall be at the discretion of the Executive Council on the payment of the prescribed fee and after submission of an application as outlined in current application. The Executive Council has the right to refuse any application as it sees fit.
All Members shall abide by the code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the URHP.
All Members must comply with the current CPD policy.
The Executive Council of the Register may confer honorary Membership upon any individual who in their view has or can help in promoting the aims and objectives of the Register.
The Executive Council may also invite patrons for the Register.
All new Members shall undergo a period of mentorship as specified by the current mentor policy & may be granted conditional provisional membership should they not have attained the requirements for full membership prior to application.
The Executive Council has the right to refuse membership to any applicant that they decide does not share the ethics & vision of the Register or fulfil the full criteria for membership.

Article 4. Rights of Full Membership

Members will have the right to attend General Meetings and discuss the agenda circulated and to vote thereon and shall be eligible for election as office bearers of Executive Council Members provided he/she is registered as a full member and meets the necessary criteria.
1. Full Members may use the designator letters M.U.R.H.P. (Member of the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners) on all Stationary and correspondence.
2. If one third of the total Membership submits in writing to the General Secretary a complaint against any individual member of the Executive Council, then the General Secretary has to place that application before the next meeting of the full Executive Council for consideration.
3. In the case of the Executive Council being unable to resolve the issue, the General Secretary has to place the said application before the next General Assembly meeting, where, with the approval of two thirds of the attendants the decision shall be arrived at.
4. If two thirds of the valid Membership pass a vote of no confidence against any member of the Executive Council the said member shall resign immediately whereupon the General Assembly shall elect a new member of the Executive Council as per the procedure laid down in article 13.

Article 5. Subscriptions

The General Assembly shall fix the Annual Subscription for Membership appropriately as and when necessary.
All Members shall be liable to pay dues for Membership of the EHPA and any levy raised by the EHPA in order to promote Statutory Self Regulation of the practice of herbal medicine.
All Members shall be liable to pay dues for Membership of the Statutory Herbal Register when this is implemented.
Members not paying full renewal fees within three months of the date of renewal will lose voting rights as from the day of lapsing and will be removed from the Register at the end of the three months grace period, unless there are extenuating circumstances and a separate arrangement has been arrived at.

Article 6. Termination of Membership

The General Assembly upon recommendation of the Executive Council can terminate the Membership of any member if it is proved that he/she has acted directly or indirectly against the interests of the Register.
The Disciplinary Committee or full Executive Council, in the case of an appeal can terminate the Membership of any member who has been judged by the Disciplinary Procedure to breach the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct of the URHP.
Any member not attending one Annual General meeting in three years without good reason will have an investigation into their Membership implemented.
All new Members must attend the Annual general meeting that follows their acceptance on the Register or an investigation into their Membership will be implemented.
The person whose Membership is terminated has no right to claim back Membership fees, annual subscriptions, donations or any other facilities upon the termination of his/her Membership.

Article 6A. Disciplinary Procedure

The procedure is initiated when a complaint is made against the practitioner.
The initial complaint is made to the Registrar and Ethics Officer, who will then contact the complainant to ensure that the details of the complaint are clear. At this point the practitioner will be informed of the complaint within 7 working days.
Where possible and appropriate any complaint will be resolved at this level by the Registrar and Ethics Officer acting as an intermediary between both parties.
The Registrar and Ethics officer has the right to issue a Formal Warning in consultation with the President, Vice President and General Secretary. The warning is to consist of a written letter to the practitioner, and any such warning will be recorded against their name by the Registrar and Ethics Officer for a period of one year after which the record will be cleared.
If the complaint is believed to constitute a serious breach of the Code of Ethics and Conduct or the Constitution, the Registrar and Ethics Officer will consult the President, Vice-President and General Secretary as well as the relevant Director of Tradition. If so decided a full Disciplinary Committee will be set up.
The Disciplinary Committee will consist of The President, the Vice Chair, The Director of Tradition, The General Secretary, one other council member and two non-practitioners of high professional standing. Third parties may only attend as observers and with full prior permission of the Disciplinary Committee.
At this point the Registrar and Ethics Officer will take up a supportive role for the practitioner being disciplined.
The Disciplinary Committee Hearing must be set up within 14 days of the decision to convene being made and a suitable date for the Disciplinary Committee meeting arranged in consultation with the practitioner within 28 days of this event.
The practitioner shall attend and present their case; in the event of he/she not being able to attend without good reason a decision will be reached in their absence.
The Disciplinary Committee may depending on the gravity of the issue make one of the following recommendations, in order of seriousness -
1. Admonishment, further training to be completed within a specified time limit,
2. Fine of between £250-£1500 to be paid within 28 days, Amount to be reviewed annually at AGM to reflect actual costs.
3. Suspension of membership for a period of between 6 and 24 months,
4. Removal of membership.
  1. The Registrar and Ethics officer will keep details of any judgements that do not result in termination of membership for a period of three years after which any record kept against the practitioner will be cleared.
  2. The practitioner who loses their membership can reapply for membership between one to three years later as stipulated by the committee, providing he/she have served out any other legal justice that may have been attached to their case.
  3. If either party wishes to appeal then this appeal should be made to the Disciplinary Committee within 28 days of the judgement. The appeal shall be put before a full specially convened council meeting, as well as three non-practitioners of high professional standing. Third parties may attend as observers only with prior permission.
  4. In the case of an appeal being made any judgements made prior to the appeal will be temporarily suspended.

The final decision to uphold, overturn or change the original judgement will be arrived at by majority vote of the Executive Council members. The quorum of the meeting shall be 80% of Executive Council members. If the practitioner is not cleared at the appeal then he/she are responsible for the full cost of convening the special Executive Council meeting up to a maximum of £1000, in addition to any professional legal costs which if not paid within 28 days will result in automatic termination of membership, if this has not already occurred.

Article 7. General Assembly

The General Assembly shall consist of Members of the Register with valid Membership and who shall have a right to vote at such meetings and to participate in any postal votes or extra ordinary meetings. Student Members are allowed to attend (but not to vote at) such meetings.
The General Assembly shall meet at least every 12 months as arranged by the Executive Council.
The election of the Executive Council shall take place every three years at the AGM. An election commissioner nominated by the Executive Council shall conduct the election. The General Secretary shall prepare the ballot paper, indicating by each Executive Council post the Members who wish to apply for each office. Each member will be sent a ballot paper and may vote in person or by post at the AGM. These are to be returned by valid Members to the Election Commissioner by post or in person. Members who are undergoing Disciplinary procedures or have been disciplined in the last 3 years may not apply for Council Posts. Council Members who undergo disciplinary procedures can maintain their office unless they are consequently disciplined.
If the General Assembly wishes, 25% of the Executive Council may be representatives of non-aligned practitioner Members, that is, of Members not aligned to schools and colleges encompassed within the URHP.
The structure of office within the Register shall be as outlined in articles 10 and 11.
Statement of Account and report shall be presented and approved by fifty-one percent of the General Assembly.
Any other business can be transacted at the meeting that the Executive Council considers to be of general importance and interest to the Register.
Any proposal concerning amendments to the Constitution or the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct shall automatically form part of the Agenda, provided other formalities as herein stated are complied with. Amendments to either the Constitution or Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct recommended by the Executive Council shall only be made after approval by a majority vote of the full Membership by post, at the AGM or by calling an EGM as outlined in Article 15.
Any member whose annual subscriptions are in arrears shall have no right to vote or to exercise any other right of Membership.
A list of Members present at the General Assembly shall be prepared and kept by the General Secretary, which shall include their name, address and signature of attendance.
The decision at the meeting, except where otherwise provided, shall be arrived at by fifty-one percent of the Members voting.

Article 8. Extraordinary General Meetings

The Executive Council may call an Extraordinary General Meeting whenever it deems necessary.
The General Secretary shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting if he/she receives a request signed by one third of the total Membership of the Register.
At least one calendar month notice shall be given to the Members and notices must be posted within ten days from the receipt of the petition.
The President of the Register shall preside as Chairperson over such meetings. In the case of the President not being available the Vice President shall preside, or if this is not possible, the General Secretary shall nominate a Chairperson to serve the purposes of the Extraordinary Meeting.
A Quorum of an extraordinary meeting shall be 30% percent of the total Membership.

Article 9. Procedure at the Meetings

The business of the meeting shall be transacted in the form of a resolution.
A resolution shall have to be proposed by one member and seconded by another.
The Proposer of the resolution shall have the right to state its purpose, aim and other relevant aspects. The President shall then call upon speakers for and against the motion, to speak. Maintaining a proper balance between the two sides.
The President shall have the duty of confining the discussion only to the issue of the motion and to see to it that no irrelevant matter is introduced into the discussion.
The President shall be responsible for the proper and orderly conduct of the proceedings.
The decision at the meeting, except where otherwise provided, shall be arrived at by fifty-one percent of the Members voting.
Minutes of the proceedings at the meeting shall be recorded and presented at the next meeting by the General Secretary for verification.

Article 10. Management

The Management of the Register shall be in the hands of the Executive Council, whose term of office shall be three years before being automatically eligible for re-election in the absence of any other candidate's being forthcoming.
The Executive Council may issue standing orders or rules to regulate or conduct any of the Register activities or projects; they may also make changes to policies. Such standing orders, rules or policy changes come into operation immediately, provided that they shall be subject to review by the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting and shall not be inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the Register. The Executive Council shall meet in person at least once in six months - two months by teleconference or in person (or three monthly by teleconference or in person) with written notice given of at least two weeks to every Council member. The President, Vice President or the General Secretary or not less than three Members of the Executive Council can call emergency meetings by not less than forty-eight hours notice by written or other means of communication to each Council member. If two thirds of Executive Council Members are present and in agreement then a meeting can be convened immediately, all other protocols not withstanding.
If any Executive Council member is absent from three (four) consecutive Council meetings without a good reason, the Executive Council may pass a resolution for his/her removal from office.
The Executive Council shall form sub-committees as the necessity arises from among the Members of the Executive Council and the Members of the Register.
The Executive Council should provide representation at all relevant liaison and cooperation meetings with the EHPA, other professional bodies, and any conference that the Executive Council decides it is beneficial for the Membership to be represented at.
For the orderly conduct of the sub-committees of the Register, rules and procedures shall be formed in the light of the Constitution and experience.
The Executive Council shall be authorised to co-opt any individual onto any of the sub-committees so formed.
The structure of the sub-committees is as follows: a simple majority of the Executive Council, of which two thirds of the Executive Council represent a quorum, may change the structure if necessity so demands and also may co-opt up to two additional members who are willing to be involved.
1. EDUCATION SUB-COMMITTEE - Education Officer, Directors of the Traditions, Registrar & Ethics Officer, General Secretary or President or Vice President.
2. ETHICS SUB-COMMITTEE - President or Vice President, Education Officer, Registrar & Ethics Officer, General Secretary, Relevant Director of Tradition.
3. ACCREDITATION SUB-COMMITTEE - Education Officer, Director of Tradition, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, President, Registrar & Ethics officer, President or Vice President.
4. DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE - President, Vice President, Director of Tradition, General Secretary, one other Executive Council Member & two none practitioners of high professional standing.
5. SAFETY COMMITTEE - Safety Officer, Directors of Traditions, Liaison Officer, Education Officer.
6. Each sub-committee shall appoint its own Chairperson by majority vote and meetings will be run in accordance with article 9 - procedure at the meetings.
7. Sub-committees will only exist when constituted by the Executive Council and can, once their mandate has been resolved, be dissolved either by 75% vote of the sub-committee members or majority of the full Executive Council. Recommendations made by a sub-committee will then be voted on by the Executive Council.
The decision in the Executive Council shall be based on the principle of a simple majority and two thirds of the total Membership of the Executive Council shall form a quorum.

Article 11. The following shall be the Office Bearers elected to the Executive Council from amongst its Members:

President
2 posts of Vice President
General Secretary
Treasurer
Registrar and Ethics Officer
Liaison Officer
Safety Officer
Education Officer
PR & Publicity Officer
Directors of Traditions represented by URHP
Editor of quarterly Newsletter and Journal

An Executive Officer can hold up to two offices, but the Executive Council must consist of a minimum of seven members.

Article 12. Duties of the Office Bearers

(a) President

The President shall be the chairperson of Executive Council meetings as well as the General Assembly meetings and any Extraordinary General Meetings.
The President shall attend any high profile meetings outside of the Register. He/she shall also be able to delegate this responsibility to any other member of the Register.
He /She shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the General Assembly and Executive Council meetings.
It will be his/her duty to see that the proceedings are conducted in an orderly manner and within the rules of the Register.
He/she shall be responsible for the general conduct of the Register.
The President is the ultimate ambassador of the Register and shall ensure that the integrity, constitution, ethics and vision of the Register is honoured.

(b) Vice President

He/she shall deputise for the President whenever the president is unable to attend a meeting.
He/She supports the President in the his/her role assisting in the overall smooth running of the Register.

(c) General Secretary

The general administration shall be in the hands of the General Secretary. The General Secretary is the first point of contact for enquiries by the General public and distributor of general information about the Register to the public and practitioners.
He/she is responsible for all communications and correspondence for the proper functioning of the Register, and holds all the minutes of previous Executive Council and sub-committee meetings.
He/she shall be able to delegate his responsibilities to any willing member of the Executive Council or a member of the Register.
The Secretary can at any time with the approval of the Executive Council enlist the aid of an assistant to administer the general functions of the Register and to take over all his/her duties in the event of the General Secretary becoming unavailable due to illness, holiday or when other pressing need arises.
Responsible for web site content and usage.

d) Treasurer

He/she shall be responsible for all funds and other movable assets of the Register. He/she shall have the power to appoint an auditor in prior consultation with the Executive Council.
It will be his duty to see that:

All accounts are properly kept.
The property of the Register is properly maintained.
All dues are collected.
The defaulters are notified.
No unnecessary expenditure is incurred.
Means and methods are devised to raise funds for the Register.
Duly signed receipts are issued to all subscribers.
Statements of accounts are periodically prepared for the perusal of the Executive Council.
Statements of accounts are prepared for presentation at the AGM.

e) Registrar and Ethics Officer

He/She is responsible for the keeping of the Register of all members and the collection of membership fees, and has the power to implement any measures outlined in article 5 - subscription.
He/She is responsible for administrating the application process for all new applicants for membership.
He/She is responsible for ensuring that all members maintain the required standards of CPD or any other specific prerequisites to membership.
He/She is responsible for the mentorship scheme of new members for the period agreed.
He/She is the representative of the ethics of the Register and is responsible for ensuring that members adhere to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
He/She has the powers as outlined in the Disciplinary procedure.

f) Liaison Officer

He/She is responsible for liaisons with other professional organisations and where possible attends all meetings outside of the Register which may have an effect on its future. For example the meeting of the EHPA and its sub committees.
He/She must represent the constitution, code of Ethics and vision of the Register and hold views representative of the Executive Council and members of the Register.
He/She is responsible for delegating other willing members to meetings which he/she is unable to attend, ensuring that at all times the Register is represented where it is in it's best interests to be so.
He/She is responsible for keeping the Executive Council and membership up to date on all relevant political and professional issues, and shall communicate matters of significance and urgency with appropriate speed to the Register.

g) Safety and Legal Officer

He/She is responsible for any safety and legal issues relating to the practice of herbal medicine and has the right to issue immediate policy on any such matter of safety.
He/She is responsible for keeping the Executive Council and members informed on any current safety issues that relate to them such as the withdrawal of herbs.
He/She is responsible for administering the yellow card alert scheme.
He/She is responsible for cooperation and liaison with other professional herbal organisations over relevant safety and legal issues.

h) Education and Student Liaison Officer

He/She is the first point of contact for any educational establishment that wishes to undergo the accreditation process of the Register.
He/She is responsible for liasing with the Directors of Traditions to ensure that the current core curriculum standards are of a high standard and up to date standard.
He/She coordinates the assessment of non-accredited individual applications for membership along with the relevant Director of Tradition in accordance with current application policy.
He/She is responsible for CPD policy and the organisation of CPD training.
He/She shall liase with other professional bodies to ensure that the educational standards of the Register are concurrent with educational standards throughout the profession.
He/She represents the constitution and current policies and vision of the Register by liasing with students and teachers of accredited colleges so as to raise the profile of the Register.
Duties to provide CPD opportunities for members and to monitor content of members CPD portfolios.

i) PR & Publicity Officer

He/She is responsible for raising the profile of the Register both to the General Public and the public through public and professional media.
He/She shall raise the profile in a way which is representative of vision, ethics, constitution and members of the Register.
He/She shall liase with the relevant Executive Council members to ensure that all publicity is accurate and of the highest standard.

j) The Directors of the Traditions

There shall be three Directors of Traditions, one each to represent the three current traditions represented by the Register. These are Western herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese herbal Medicine and Ayerveda.
He/ She is the source of the specialist knowledge attached to each tradition and is responsible for the profile and the maintenance of the high standards of that tradition within the Register.
Shall work with the Safety Officer to ensure that any safety policies relevant to the tradition are highlighted, understood and implemented.
He/She shall play an important role in the assessment of colleges applying for accreditation and should attend any relevant accreditation sub-committees. He/she shall play an important role in the assessment of new membership applications in his/her tradition as outlined in current membership application policy.
He/She shall, in coordination with the Education officer, organise CPD in the tradition that he/she represents.
In disciplinary procedures he/she shall be the source of any specialist knowledge relevant to the case and will attend any disciplinary meetings.
He/She shall work with the Liaison officer in representing the tradition to other professional organisations and with the PR and Publicity Officer to ensure accurate representation of the tradition to the General Public.

k) Editor of the Newsletter and Journal

He/She shall be responsible for the creation, editing and publication of the quarterly Newsletter and Journal.
He/She shall ensure that the articles and advertising in the Journal and newsletter are accurate and of a standard consistent with the constitution, vision and ethics of the Register.
He/She shall coordinate closely with other Executive Council Officers to ensure that all relevant news about safety, education, membership, policy changes and suggested amendments to constitution or ethics and professional conduct are communicated within the journal and newsletter.
He/She shall use the Journal and Newsletter to raise the profile of the Register to both the general Public and the Profession.

Article 13. Election

The Election shall be held every three years by a secret ballot to elect the Executive Council including office bearers.
A candidate contesting an election to become an office bearer shall have to satisfy the following conditions, unless a simple majority of the current Executive Council make an exception.

He/she shall be a member of the Register and be over the age of 25 years on the day of the election.
He/she shall be of a sound mind and character.
He/she shall have at least five years of experience in practice and be over the age of 25 years. -

In the case of any post on the Executive Council becoming vacant, the Executive Council shall fill the position temporarily and arrange for the election to that position in the manner herein described at the next General Assembly meeting.

Article 13A. Election Officer

The Executive Council shall appoint an election commissioner for the purpose of conducting an election.
The election officer shall have the power, subject to this constitution, to make rules for the proper conduct of the election.
The declaration of the election result by the election officer shall be binding and final.
He/she shall not take part in contesting any post or caste a vote for any of the posts of the Executive Council.

Article 14. Finance & Assets

The financial resources of the Register shall be derived from:
1. Annual Subscriptions from Members in form of a Membership fee.
2. Gifts, donations, legacies, etc.
3. The holding of social or educational functions.
4. Other activities the Executive Council may deem necessary.
5. Income derived from investment of surplus funds.
6. Sale of the Journal to non members.
Money shall be kept in banks' building societies or share funds, except that a certain sum of money as decided by the Executive Council may be left with the General Secretary to meet day to day expenses.
All expenditure and withdrawal of money shall be on the authorisation of the Executive Council. The General Secretary and one other of two signatories chosen from amongst the remaining Executive Council Members shall sign the cheques.

Article 15. Amendments to this Constitution

Amendments to the constitution can be made at the Annual General Meeting, an EGM or by full postal ballot of all members.
Amendments shall be considered by the General Assembly EGM/Postal vote when submitted to the General Secretary in writing, signed by at least one third of its Members or when recommended by a majority of the Executive Council.
Amendments shall be submitted to the General Secretary in writing, at least two months before the regular meeting of the General Assembly. The General Secretary shall send a copy of such proposed amendments together with any accompanying documents in support of proposed changes within one month of the receipt of such written petition to all members.
The Executive Council shall be empowered to submit any amendment to the General Assembly EGM/Postal vote, provided one months notice is given in writing to all Members.
For any amendments fifty one percent of the valid Membership of the General Assembly shall constitute a quorum and two thirds of the Members present must vote in favour of such action.

Article 16. Dissolution of the Register or Executive Council

The power to dissolve the Register rests with the General Assembly, provided seventy five percent of valid Membership of the Register agrees with such a decision.
The Executive Council can be dissolved and an election called if more than 30% of members put forward a vote of no confidence at least 2 months before an AGM. At the AGM two thirds of the valid membership shall constitute a quorum and two thirds of the members present must vote to pass the vote of no confidence
The assets of the Register on dissolution shall be disposed after payment of its debts and liabilities to a charitable organisation or a similar organisation to the dissolved Register, or to aid some other cause as the final assembled Members see fit.