We are deeply and sincerely sorry for the distress and disruption it caused to candidates and their families.
We welcome Professor McLachlan’s independent review into the circumstances surrounding the error and his recommendations which will now be used as a roadmap to restore confidence in our systems and governance. As the report explains, this error resulted from a data processing issue when transferring examination data from the digital exam provider to the MRCP(UK) database.
Professor Hany Eteiba, Chair of the Federation Board, said:
"We recognise the seriousness of this incident, and on behalf of the three Colleges and the Federation, I deeply and sincerely apologise for the distress and disruption it caused to the doctors who were affected.
Together, we are determined to learn lessons and today, we have published the findings of the independent report we commissioned earlier this year.
We are now reviewing the report and considering each of the recommendations in detail, some of which, having been shared with us at an early stage in the process, have already been implemented.
Alongside our thanks to Professor McLachlan, we want to thank all who contributed to the review, in particular the doctors who were affected.
As part of our commitment to ensuring that lessons are learnt, we will be sharing the learnings with other assessment and exam bodies within the wider healthcare system.”
The Federation commissioned Professor McLachlan to independently determine the cause of the error and to identify measures to strengthen our systems and governance.
Professor John McLachlan said:
"I would like to express my grateful thanks to all the affected candidates who came forward, either online or by email, to share their stories with me, often very movingly, and to the staff and officers of the Federation and Royal Colleges, who answered my queries honestly and candidly.
I hope this review helps answer questions on how things went wrong in this particular instance and contributes to the avoidance of future errors by high-stakes professional testing bodies."
The Federation has strengthened key aspects of our examination processes since the discovery of the error, including addressing its specific cause, and this work will continue.
We will be reporting back to the councils, boards of trustees and resident doctor committees of the colleges on progress with the recommendations in the months ahead.
We recognise the importance of trust and confidence in our examinations, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in the delivery of our examinations. We will work closely with the colleges’ resident doctors’ committees to ensure the voices of doctors are heard in the improvement pathway.
To read the report, click here.
For media enquiries about the report, please contact communicationsteam@thefederation.uk.