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SOCIETY BUSINESS Tissue Viability Society business r 24 years the Tissue Viability Society administration has been located in Salisbury within the local hospital, using office space rented from the Wessex Rehabilitation Association (WRA). The length of time the TVS has been identified with Salisbury has, for many members, been a comforting reassurance that although times may change we have a permanent home that will continue to provide a strong foundation for the society. However, this is all about to change as we enter our 25th year as a national organisation. For the TVS is on the move and the Salisbury office will close this autumn. There may be some who see this development as 'evidente' that the society is about to disappear and that something must be wrong with the TVS for it to abandon its Salisbury roots. Redirection of income But nothing could be further from the truth. A glance at the last few years' annual accounts shows a year-by-year growth in our financial reserves, so the TVS is not about to go under due to lack of money. In fact what has happened over the past few years is a clear TVS Council-led strategy to reduce our internal costs so that the society can devote as much of its income to providing services for its members, health profeSSionals and the general public. This strategy has seen the number of full-time employees fall from four in 1998 to none by 2005. It has also seen the TVS use external publishers to print and disseminate the JournaL of Tissue Viability. In 2005 the council approved the use of a professional conference organiser to take over the arrangements for the annual conference and we are currently receiving proposals for the management of the TVS membership database. © 2005 Tissue Viability Society Virtual administration All of these steps have reduced the need for administrative support within a fixed TVS office, moving us closer and closer to having ao effective, efficient yet virtual administration of the society. This increased efficiency means more funds available to support our aims, which is the tangible benefit from careful management of the society's funds and activities. So the move away from Salisbury should be welcomed by members of the TVS. Deborah Thompson, the TVS chair, comments that 'while the separation of the TVS from its home in Salisbury may be hard for long- term members of the society to understand it is in the best long-term interests of the TVS, and council and the management team of the TVS are committed to ensuring that the new virtual administration fully meets the needs of all mcmbers and supports the growth of the TVS over coming years'. She adds: 'We would like to thank the Wessex Rehabilitation Association and Salisbury District Hospital for the many happy years TVS have enjoyed with their support.' New arrangements So what are the new arrangements) Therc will be an interim administration provided by the TVS management while we focus the brief we have prepared for external administrators to enable them to tender for the work. This will allow TVS to gain the most cost-effective administrative support possible given that we can correctly gauge the demand for general help that is required by members and non-members alike. It is expected that new administrative support will be firmly in place at the start of 2006. Further details of the interim and final administrative arrangements will be posted on the TVS website at www.tvs.org.uk and communicated to all members over the autumn. Member benefits Accepting that the changed administration will allow us to channel greater funds into TVS activities, what benefits can members expect7 It is expected that 2006 VOL 15 NO.4 NOVEMBER 2005 26
