Doctors who failed exams working on specialist NHS wards after results blunder

Hundreds of doctors have been treating patients in specialist medicine despite having failed a key exam after an admin glitch, The i Paper can reveal

The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians notified more than 220 junior doctors that they had passed an exam to allow them to progress in training for a medical specialism – but a recent audit revealed the cohort had actually failed.

61 candidates were wrongly told they had failed when they had actually passed.

The assessment was part two of the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)). The MRCP(UK) is an “essential” diploma for all physicians who train in a medical speciality in the UK, according to the Federation’s website.

Passing the three-part exam series is vital for any doctor pursuing routes such as intensive care medicine, cardiology, haematology or respiratory medicine to progress from being a resident doctor, formerly known as a junior doctor, to a registrar.

A source close to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, which is part of the Federation, told The i Paper: “To practice medicine as a speciality, you have to pass the MRCPUK qualification. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to practice under these without qualification.”

The Department of Health described the finding as “very concerning”, while the General Medical Council (GMC) is understood to be looking into whether patient safety was jeopardised during the 18-month-long period where doctors had incorrectly been told they passed a crucial exam that they actually failed.

NHS England has been asked to work with the Royal Colleges and GMC “to ensure this issue is rectified as a matter of urgency”, a government spokesperson said.

The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians has apologised for the error due to a “data processing issue” resulting in “incorrect examination results” being communicated to the group of candidates.

Out of 1,451 candidates who took the exam on 6 September 2023, 283 were given the wrong result – 61 candidates who were told they had failed have passed and 222 candidates who were told they had passed have failed.

Dr Mike Jones, executive medical director of the Federation said: “On behalf of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK, we deeply and unreservedly apologise for this situation.

“We appreciate how distressing the candidates affected will find this, and for some it will create an additional burden to the hard and vital work they do.”

The Federation said the MRCP(UK) is the “gold standard” of early physician assessment and that candidates who did not pass must re-sit and pass the exam to be awarded the MRCP(UK) Diploma to progress their training.

Professor Colin Melville, medical director and director of education and standards at the GMC, said: “The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians has made us aware of an error affecting a significant number of UK and international candidates following the sitting of a written assessment in 2023.

“We know this will be a concerning and disappointing time. Some of the candidates will have discovered they in fact failed the test, while others passed when they were informed they had failed.

“The federation informed us promptly once they had discovered the error. We are seeking assurance that our standards are being met and there are no concerns about patient safety.

“We are working closely with the federation to understand what happened, how they will support those affected, and what actions they will take to ensure this does not happen again.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This is very concerning and we have asked NHS England to work with the Royal College of Physicians and the General Medical Council to ensure this issue is rectified as a matter of urgency.”

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