Immediate action must be taken to address the ‘devastating’ and ‘unacceptable’ consequences of the MRCP exams failure, the BMA has warned health secretary Wes Streeting.

Doctors leaders have written to Mr Streeting calling him to take ‘urgent, coordinated action’ after it was revealed hundreds of doctors had been incorrectly informed about the results of their MRCP (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians) examinations.

The admission of error by the FRCP (Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians) of the UK came after an audit revealed 283 doctors received incorrect results for their MRCP exams taken in September 2023.

These errors, which the BMA has described as ‘nothing short of catastrophic’, saw 222 doctors incorrectly informed that they had passed the exam, with a further 61 doctors erroneously advised they had failed.

In a 21 February letter to Mr Streeting, BMA council chair Philip Banfield stated that while the incident had exposed the ‘serious deficiencies’ in the processes of the FRCP’s examination system, it was ‘unacceptable’ that mistakes had taken nearly 18 months to be uncovered.

Mental health fears

The letter, which was co-signed by deputy council chair Emma Runswick, as well as the BMA council chairs for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Iain Kennedy, Iona Collins and Alan Stout, emphasised the failings will have affected the mental wellbeing and careers of hundreds of doctors.

They said: ‘This news is devastating for these doctors, and urgent coordinated action must be taken to provide assurances, compensation and pastoral support to those affected.

‘The consequences of these errors are far-reaching, affecting the careers and mental well-being of these doctors. Some individuals who believed they had passed may have progressed in their careers, only to now face uncertainty and potential setbacks.

‘Conversely, those who were incorrectly told they failed may have had to retake the exam at significant financial and emotional cost, delayed their training, or even left medicine entirely.

‘This situation has highlighted serious deficiencies in the governance and audit processes of the FRCP’s examination system.

‘It is unacceptable that such errors have taken so long to be identified, placing doctors' careers in jeopardy and affecting the future of patient care in the NHS. Rectifying this serious error will require a coordinated effort from different organisations.’

Job threat

In its letter, the BMA has called on Mr Streeting to use his powers to implement a raft of measures to support those affected by the MRCP debacle.

These include:

– Ensuring that those doctors who began training be allowed to continue in their jobs without fear of punitive action being taken against them

– Offering immediate pastoral support and mentorship to any affected individuals and ensuring that all associated costs are met by colleges, employers or the NHS

– That all doctors impacted by the examinations error be compensated financially including, but not limited to, reimbursement for exam costs, lost earnings and potential lost earnings.

In addition, the BMA is calling for an independent investigation to determine how mistakes in the grading process occurred, why they took so long to be identified and what decisions were taken by the FRCP once it became aware of errors.

No re-sits

In its letter, the association chairs also condemn the recent decision of the FRCP to invite doctors affected by the grading errors to re-sit their MRCP on 26 March, labelling the move as ‘completely unreasonable’ while urging doctors not to respond to the request until more information is provided.

The letter says: ‘Too often resident doctors are at the whims of organisations who do not speak to one another. The response to this unacceptable failure by FRCP cannot be more of the same.

‘A proper plan of action demands urgent coordination between parties, and we ask that you make this a priority.’

The BMA is calling for a meeting with Mr Streeting as ‘a matter of urgency’ while in the meantime offering support to all those affected by the exam results failure.

If you have been impacted by this issue, please contact the BMA for advice as soon as possible.