EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF SOCIETIES FOR HAND THERAPY

MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING

22nd May 2002in Amsterdam

Present:

The Executive Committee:

Margreet ter Schegget-President

Angelos Poulis-President Elect

Åse Lier-Secretary

Nickos Georgiadis-Treasurer

Full member societies:

Jacques Otthiers-Belgium

Doddi Stolberg (for Helle Nygaard)-Denmark

Tuula Ranta (for Marjaana Pernilää) -Finland

Claude Le Lardic -France

Nicole Grünert-Plüss-Germany Sotiria Poulis (for Georgia Petta) - Greece

Thieu Berkhout-The Netherlands

Griet van Veldhoven-Norway

Antonio Duarte- Portugal

Ragnhild Cederlund-Sweden

Vera Beckmann-Fries-Switzerland

Aysel Enhos-Turkey

Roma Bhopal -United Kingdom

Corresponding members:

Elena Ravagni Probizer -Italy

Maria Dulce Mendes (Vice President, Portugal), Barbara Sandi (the next German delegate), Giulia Guidi (the new Italian Society), and 3-4 observers from member societies were also present at the meeting.

Apologies:Koula Valanidou (Cyprus)

Marek Pienazek(Poland)

Vicenç Punsola Izard(Spain)

Mojca Marinček(Slovenia, corresponding member)

1/02MINUTES of the EFSHT COUNCIL MEETING 2001

The minutes of the EFSHT Council Meeting in Sendenhorst 2001 were accepted.

Minutes Council Meeting Amsterdam 2002, page 1 of 5

2/02REPORT ON THE YEARS 2001-2002

The Secretary’s Report:

The work since last year’s Council Meeting (CM) was mainly focused on the following:

  • Preparing the Minutes with appendices from the CM 2001
  • Developing the website and updating info; including address list see Appendix I
  • Specific contact with Poland and Italy on membership questions
  • Preparing the CM 2002, including the nomination processfor the elections, call for agenda items, preparation of documents and general information to delegates
  • Frequent communication within the Executive Committee (EC)

(see separate Action list)

The President’s Report:

The work since last year’s Council Meeting (CM) was mainly focused on the following:

  • Organisation of the congress, specifically the scientific preparations, cooperating with Thieu Berkhout, the EFSHT Congress President, and with FESSH
  • Looking for standards of scientific papers, with the Permanent Scientific Committee
  • Explored possibilities and structure for a financial committee and a website committee
  • Negotiating contact with Tina Jerosch-Herold, the editor of the British Journal of Hand Therapy, about a joint European venture.
  • Contact with IFSHT about a possible workshop in Eastern Europe (Hungary) 2003

3/02WEBSITE REPORT AND DEMONSTRATION

The EFSHT website was launched in March and the address is: The development and contents of the site were informally presented on a laptop PC.

The website was approved of and appreciated by the Council.

(see separate Action list)

4/01AUDITION OF THE 2000 ACCOUNT

The Council appointed Griet van Veldhoven (Norway) and Claude Le Lardic (France) to audit the 2001 summary of accounts. It was later passed by the auditors. The Council then discharged the Treasurer of the financial responsibilities for the year of 2000.

5/02FINANCIAL REPORT AND BALANCE 2001

The Treasurer’s Report:

Thefollowing challenges (problems) had been properly addressed, but werestill on the agenda:

  • New presentation form for the financial statement
  • The account in the bank Credit Lyonnais still not accessible to the present treasurer
  • Rather few Societies are on time with their fee payment! (see separate Action list)
  • Establishment of a more functional bank account
  • Alternative sources for income

The balance of 2001 was positive with a surplus of 10.479 EUROS.See Appendix II

The treasurer was credited for the improvement of the format of the presentation of the account.

Minutes Council Meeting Amsterdam 2002, page 2 of 5

6/02COMMITTEE REPORTS

Hand TherapistVisitor Program

The program information, list of host clinics as subpages under country pointers and registration forms have now been included on the website.

Ragnhild Cederlund, the co-ordinator of the EFSHT visitor program, therefore concluded that a coordinator is no longer needed. This corresponded with the Council’s presumption last year and was accepted. The link with the IFSHT program has yet to be developed.

An important question arised about official probation of host clinics. Host clinics should be recognized hand surgery clinics.(For instance member of FESUM; European Federation of Emergency Service of Hand Surgery)

Theresponsibility for checking this and updating the national Host Clinics’ list is best taken care of and secured by the national delegates.Whenever a new host clinic register on the website, the web-responsible officer will certify a probation with the help of the national delegate. (see separate Action list)

The Permanent Scientific Committee

Under the leadership of the PSC chair Birgitta Rosén new standards for scientific papers had been developed. There will be two categories of format:

Research papersand clinical reports.

No papers for this year’s congress had been rejected because of lack of structure or relation to format. The new standards’ document will soon appear on the website.

7/02PROPOSED NEW COMMITTEES

Financial Committee

In order to assist and support the Federation in its financial policy and activity, the Council unanimously accepted the proposed establishment of a Financial Committee with a permanent character. The proposed regulations were also approved of and will soon appear on the website.

The delegates Vera Beckmann-Fries and Thieu Berkhout volontered to join the treasurer Nickos Georgiadis on the committee, which the Council approved of with acclamation.

Website Committee

In order to keep the website fresh and updated and for further development, the Council unanimously accepted the proposed establishment of a Website Committee with a permanent character. The proposed regulations were also approved of and will soon appear on the website. The delegateRagnhild Cederlund and the Portuguese vice President Maria Dulce Mendes volontered to join the secretary Åse Lier on the committee, which the Council approved of with acclamation.

8/02EFSHT – IFSHT JOINT ACTIVITIES

The President of IFSHT , Annette Leveridge, stressed that we have to look globally and remember that we are all vital and all need to support each other. Hungary has now formed their own society for hand therapy. Timed with the Hungarian Hand Meeting for Surgeons in May 2003,the therapists have the ambition to hold an international course or seminar and willneed lecturers. Hopefully they will host other Eastern/European countries as well.

Minutes Council Meeting Amsterdam 2002, page 3 of 5

The next IFSHT congress will also take place in Europe; in Edinborough in 2004.

For more visibility between the various regional and the International Federation, the board members should try and meet sometimes!

9/02MEMBERSHIP – One application and one questioned

Full Membership Application from Italy

Since last year when the former Italian society had closed down the Council decided to give the new group G.I.S.-R.A.S.M. Italia a corresponding member status.Because of the dependence to a mother organisation based on a national Physiotherapy association, the Council agreed with the Executive Committee to reject the application for full membership.

Full Membership to be continued for Poland?

The last year’s communication made it clear that the Polish society is not vital at all. They paid their fees for 6 members in 2002, though.

The Council decided to send an official letter to Poland,with a response deadline, and ask that they clarify their motivation and ability to comply with the full membership obligations.

(see separate Action list)

10/02 BRITISH / EUROPEAN JOURNAL

The President presented a letter of consent from the British Journal of Hand Therapy (BJHT), to make it the official journal of both the British Association of Hand Therapists and the European Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy. The Council unanimously approved of the contents of the proposed contract, which was then signed by the EFSHT President Margreet ter Schegget and the BJHT Editor Christina Jerosch-Herold. See Appendix III

All submitted articles, wether originally written in English or translated will be peer reviewed.

(see separate Action list)

11/02 HONORARY MEMBERSHIP

The Council approved with acclamation the proposal by the Executive Committee to change the Federation by-laws by including Honorary Membership as a new membership category .

See Appendix IV

12/02BUDGET PROPOSAL 2002

The Council accepted the proposed budget for the present year.

13/02ELECTION OF OFFICERS

President:The President Elect, Angelos Poulis, Greece, was formally installed as the new President of the Federation.

President Elect:There was one nominee for the post as President Elect.

Ragnhild Cederlund, Sweden, was elected by acclamation. She will succeed Angelos Poulis as President at the Council Meeting in 2004

Minutes Council Meeting Amsterdam 2002, page 4 of 5

Treasurer:There was also one nominee for the post of Treasurer.

Nickos Georgiadis, Greece, was reelected by acclamation.

The election of the two eligible officers were done by a voting form and secret ballot.

The Council paid warm thanks to Margreet ter Schegget for her years of good structural work

as President and congratulated the officers and new President Angelos Poulis wishing them

good luck with their new positions.

14/02 APPOINTMENT OF HONORARY MEMBER

The proposal to appoint Jacques Otthiersasthe Federation’s first Honorary Member,was voted on by secret ballot. It was unanimously approved of with a warm applause by the Council.Jacques Otthiers was the Founder President of the Federation through its first eight years and is presently delegate of the Belgian Society.

15/02 FREE POINTS

  • All correspondence with the (Dutch) Chamber of Commerce will be delegated to Margreet ter Schegget.
  • Wise suggestion from Portugal that officers and delegates, when communicating on E-mail, installs an automatic answer to be able to register reception and opening of every mail that is sent or forwarded.
  • Proposal from Greece and others that we must discuss how to help finance the representation of all delegates. The item will be addressed at the CM in 2003.
  • Unanimous agreement: Official documents shall also be sent by snail mail!

16/02THE COUNCIL MEETING 2003

Both PortugalandTurkeypresented the offer of hosting the Council Meeting 2003.

In order to have a democratic decision to solve this luxury problem, the Council accepted that a secret ballot by writing would be arranged soon after the CM and Congress.

Thus the place and time is to be announced when we have a majority vote!

17/02 THE NEXT CONGRESS

The President of the Swedish Society, Margareta Persson, presented the site of the next joint Congress of the FESSH and the EFSHT; Gothenburg in 2005.

Thatis going to be the 10th FESSH congress and the 8th EFSHT congress.

Minutes Council Meeting Amsterdam 2002, page 5 of 5