Article 1.
The Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care (CCPC) is established as a Council of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) according to the Statutes of the ESC. The internal organization is regulated by Board-approved Rules and Regulations.
Article 3.
The primary goal of the Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care is to increase the standard of cardiovascular disease prevention, early detection and management at the European level in order to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe
Article 4.
The Council aims to strengthen and enhance cardiovascular care in primary care (general practice, family medicine) at a European level. The Council is a focussed structure within the ESC, bringing together generalist practitioners with specialists from different fields of cardiovascular care. The Council will act as an advisory umbrella group for matters relevant to primary care within the ESC and coordinate primary care activities in various ESC bodies. The Council will initially particularly collaborate with the Heart Failure Association, the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professionals, the ESC Guidelines Committee, the Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation and the ESC Working Group on Hypertension. The Board of the Council is composed of individual nominated representatives from these groups, a nominated representative from the Joint Societies Prevention Taskforce, 3 primary care Members or Fellows of the ESC, and up to four nominated representatives (presently two) from the main European primary care organisations (WONCA Europe) and the European Primary Care Cardiovascular Society. The Board meets twice a year.
Article 5.
The activities of the Council will be directed by a Nucleus. The Nucleus consists of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Past-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. The Council will also establish an Education Committee to plan and organise educational initiatives lead by the Council, including with ESC bodies and limited specified external primary bodies, namely WONCA Europe and EPCCS.
Article 6.
Objectives of the Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care are as follows:
Organisational objectives:
- To set up the organisational structure of the Council
- To coordinate primary care activities in various ESC bodies
- To collaborate and work in partnership with other bodies within the ESC, national societies of primary care, WONCA Europe and the European Primary Care Cardiovascular Society
- To support and promote primary care clinicians active in cardiovascular care to apply as members.
Objectives on research and education:
- To promote and organise education for primary care clinicians
- To organise and participate in educational activities within the ESC
- To stimulate, design and co-ordinate scientific research in the field of cardiovascular primary care across Europe
- To contribute to the organisation, preparation and delivery of the annual ESC Congress
- To collaborate with other ESC bodies and other organisations and to participate in annual meetings of other bodies of the ESC, especially EACPR, HFA, WG on Hypertension and CCNAP
- To contribute to the organisation, preparation and delivery of joint sessions in up to two meetings per year with external primary care academic bodies, especially WONCA and EPCCS, to support and promote the broad aims of the ESC and the specific aims of the CCPC
- To organise an annual CCPC scientific meeting (either individually or with another primary care group)
- To contribute to CCPC web pages
- To develop a strategy to disseminate regular CCPC newsletters and, at an appropriate time, establish a peer reviewed journal
- To explore generic cardiovascular training workshops or ATPs.
Objectives on providing expert opinion:
- To establish appropriate recommendations for the ESC regarding the field of cardiovascular primary care
- To contribute primary care expertise to task forces for the development, review, and dissemination of ESC guidelines for clinical practice
Article 7.
The Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care is presided by a Chair and Vice-Chair elected by the Nucleus. The Chair is elected for a period of 2 years, non-renewable, and automatically becomes the Past-Chair for 2 years. The Vice-Chair automatically becomes the Chair for the next period of 2 years. The change of Chairs takes place during the General Assembly of the Council which will be held annually in Spring. A person may not be re-elected to the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair. After this 4-year period (or part of a 4-year period) a person should not be re-elected as secretary or treasurer during the next four years.
A Secretary and a Treasurer are elected for a period of 2 years, renewable for 2 years, and the persons taken over these positions will be trained for at least 1 year. All Nucleus members are elected for a maximum of 6 years, non-renewable. The Chair may stay for a maximum of 8 years, if 2 years as Nucleus member preceded the start as Chair. New nucleus members will be elected by vote by the Board, after announcement of vacant positions to all Council members (i.e. to the Board, to Committee members and to the larger membership).
In principal the same rules apply to all committees within the Council, but each committee may propose other rules and regulations to the Nucleus. Vacancies in all committees will be announced to national societies of Primary Care and all Council members. New members to any committee will be inducted into the committee after approval of the committee itself and finally, the Nucleus of the Council. Formal suggestions and applications should be forwarded to the Nucleus.
Article 8.
The Secretary is responsible for reporting on the activities to the Board and to the Council members, in agreement with the Chair.
Article 9.
The Treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs of the Council, which will be regulated in accordance with the governance rules of the ESC, in agreement with the Chair.
Article 10.
General membership consists of all professionals working in primary care registering as part of the Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care via the ESC website and providing the required details. The Council is open to all primary care professionals with an interest or expertise in the cardiovascular field.
Article 11.
The Nucleus will meet four times a year; including during the CCPC scientific meeting and the annual ESC Congress. At these meetings, if needed, Rules and Regulations can be revised and re-submitted to the ESC Board.
Article 12.
The Council on Cardiovascular Primary Care will communicate its planned activities to the ESC Board with the annual budget proposal. The Council will submit an annual report on its activities to the Board for approval.
Articles proposed by the Inaugural CCPC Nucleus on 1 March 2010 and ratified on 12th November 2010
Chair: Professor Richard Hobbs
Vice Chair: Professor Arno Hoes
Secretary: Professor Carlos Brotons
Treasurer: Professor Martin Scherer