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The BSR membership Code of Conduct sets out the high professional standards that unite and strengthen our membership community. It reflects our organisational values of leadership, collaboration, inclusivity, and celebration and is designed to foster a professional environment where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness. By embracing these principles, members recognise that respectful treatment is essential to high-quality clinical, scientific, and academic collaboration.
This Code of Conduct provides a set of standards expected of all BSR members. It is supported by a range of policies and contractual obligations binding all of those working with BSR (including staff and contractors) to a similarly high standard of conduct. It also supports BSR’s wider commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
BSR expects these standards to cover all interaction across its community, including written, verbal, nonverbal, and electronic communication, and social media.
BSR standards for membership
As a member of BSR, individuals must:
• Demonstrate integrity, competence, and responsibility in both their personal and professional conduct.
• Be in good standing with their professional regulator, reporting immediately where this may be under review.
• Not act in any way that might damage the reputation of their profession or the Society.
• Take reasonable steps to ensure professional judgement is not compromised nor perceived as being compromised because of bias, conflict of interest, or the undue influence of others.
• Treat others with respect and consideration, in line with BSR’s values.
• Recognise and value individual differences and diversity.
• Not undertake to speak publicly on behalf of BSR unless previously agreed with a member of the BSR Senior Leadership Team.
Failure to adhere to this code of conduct may result in suspension of your membership, whilst repeated breaches of the Code of Conduct may lead to your expulsion from the Society. Where serious breaches of a members’ professional regulator code of practice have occurred, BSR reserves the right to suspend membership for a specified period.
Raising a complaint/concern
Our complaints procedure aims to provide a clear, fair, and transparent process for anyone wishing to raise a concern or complaint about a BSR member or a BSR service. We aim to resolve complaints and concerns where possible but there are a range of possible outcomes including expulsion from membership in the most serious cases. Any complaint or concern will be used by BSR to improve its services where relevant.
BSR will investigate complaints or concerns relating to:
• Conduct of members when acting in an official capacity for BSR
• Delivery of BSRs services. BSR will not investigate complaints or concerns relating to:
• Clinical care or professional practice outside of BSR
• Employer-based issues
• Regulatory/fitness-to-practise matters
Concerns should be sent to governance@rheumatology.org.uk. Please include, at a minimum, the following in your email:
• What happened
• When
• Who was involved
• Your desired outcome.
You should expect a response within 3 – 5 working days providing you with a named contact, an outline of next steps, and a timelin.e
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