The BMA says the error made by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK, in which 222 doctors were told they had passed an exam they had in fact failed, and a further 61 were told they had failed, when they had passed, is nothing short of catastrophic. 

Last night the Federation admitted, in a statement, that an internal audit process revealed that 1,451 took the exam - the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written Examination - in September 2023 but almost 300 got the wrong results. 

The exam is one of three parts and must be taken by doctors who want to progress in their training in a medical specialism such as cardiology, respiratory or intensive care medicine.  
 
The mistake by the Colleges’ exam body, and the time it has taken to discover it, means there will be doctors, who having been told they had passed, have progressed in their careers but now face uncertainties about their future because of this error. 

Those who passed, but were told they failed, will have either taken the exam again – at huge financial cost for the exam and courses, and at great expense of time with them possibly having extensions to training to enable them to take all the exams – or may have left medicine altogether.

There are also potential lost earnings for doctors not able to progress because of this mistake. Even worse, some may have abandoned their medical career altogether, wrongly believing they were not good enough to get any further as a doctor.  
 
BMA chair of council Professor Philip Banfield said:

“Failing an exam is devastating and has consequences for doctors as they work their way up the ladder of expertise; being told you have failed when in fact you have passed, is even worse. For those 222 doctors who have spent the past 18 months believing they had passed, but have not, they will be equally devastated and unsure what lies ahead. The moral, legal and governance aspects of this truly terrible mistake are far-reaching and must not be under-estimated by the public, Government, and the NHS. 
 
“The ramifications of this appalling situation are far-reaching for doctors and patients.  All doctors should have confidence in an exam result – they are central to their careers and to the skills they bring to medicine. There must be an immediate independent investigation into this, including how routine audit processes have taken so long to identify this error. 
 
“The Federation must commit to significant support and compensation for all the doctors whose lives and careers will be in turmoil today because of this mistake. We want all doctors affected by this catastrophic error to contact the BMA. We are talking to the Royal College of Physicians, and we are exploring options for support, compensation, and recompense with our legal team.  
 
“The BMA believes those responsible should be held accountable. This is not the first time a royal college has made serious errors in examination processes and there must not be another.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.