Structure of the British Medical Association
- Annual Representative Meeting
- Divisions
- BMA Council
- The Political Board
- Branch of practice committees
- Board of Professional Activities
The BMA is a democratic institution. Practising doctors, who are members of the Association and are elected by their colleagues, decide BMA policy. The Representative Body, the BMA's main policy making body, has nearly 600 members, elected geographically and by discipline. It meets once a year at the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) in June or July in venues around the country or sometimes in a special representative meeting.
Annual Representative Meeting
The Annual Representative Meeting provides an opportunity for doctors from all parts of the profession to debate motions relating to various aspects of their working lives and professional practice.
Motions for debate come largely from BMA Divisions, branch of practice committees, and national councils. There are also other policy influencing bodies that are not formal BMA committees including the junior members forum and the retired members forum, who meet annually and put motions to the Representative body. (links through to relevant pages).
Divisions
BMA Divisions represent members in all disciplines geographically. Every UK member belongs to one of the 202 divisions. Each has a secretary, chairman or president and executive committee including local representatives for each branch of practice.
BMA Divisions submit motions to the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) to become BMA policy if passed at the ARM.
BMA Council
BMA Council meets five times a year to implement policy decisions of the annual representative meeting and take necessary decisions during the year. Its annual report, published at the end of March, forms the basis of many motions to the Representative Body the following summer.
BMA Council now has a maximum of 38 voting members directly elected by the membership to give a geographical mix cross-branch of practice. There are also a number of ex-officio non-voting members, including those who chair the many committees reporting to Council.
There are also national Councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which report to central Council.
The Political Board
The Political Board receives reports from the seven branch of practice committees, discusses issues affecting NHS and academic doctors, and reports back to Council.
Branch of practice committees
Branch of practice (BOP) committees represent and act for all doctors in each of the seven branches of practice, whether they are BMA members or not. The branch of practice committee structure is mirrored in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The seven BOP’s are:
- General Practitioners Committee (GPC) - NHS general practitioners
- Central Consultants and Specialists Committee (CCSC) - senior hospital doctors
- Junior Doctors Committee (JDC) - junior hospital doctors, including GP registrars in the hospital part of their training
- Public Health Medicine Committee (PHMC) - public and community health doctors
- Medical Academic Staff Committee (MASC) - academic and research staff.
- Medical Students Committee – for medical students. BMA student members elect representatives from each medical school to the Medical Students Committee, which takes guidance from an annual conference of elected student members.
- Staff and Associate and Specialists – for doctors in the non consultant career grades
The BMA, and thus the BOP committees, are recognised by the health departments in national negotiations for NHS doctors and by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body as representing all doctors in that BOP.
Board of Professional Activities
The Board of Professional Activities co-ordinates the professional activites of the Association in accordance with the instructions of Council. The Board of Professional Activities Directorate considers ethical, scientific, research and educational matters. The board also reports to Council.