An independent external review which was commissioned last year in response to an exams error which saw 50 candidates being given an incorrect pass result has now been completed and can be read in full here. View the Independent Exam Review report
The review – which was undertaken by Professor John C McLachlan – was extremely comprehensive and involved speaking with more than 60 individuals, including a number of college staff and officers, as well as representatives from other groups such as the Emergency Medicine Training Association and the Emergency Medicine Speciality and Specialist Doctors. Anyone from our membership, and those who were directly affected, were also invited to contact Professor McLachlan if they wished to take part. The review involved a close examination of the processes and procedures which had been in place at the time the error occurred, albeit many had already been subsequently improved.
As a result of the external review 17 recommendations have been made, which have been accepted by us in full. They complement our own internal review, which was undertaken immediately after the error and made 11 recommendations. All 28 recommendations now form part of an extensive work plan being implemented, aimed at improving our procedures and processes within examinations.
We recognise that this was a very difficult time for everyone involved; we were very sorry that this issue happened and the impact it had in particular for those directly affected. While the review has taken some time, we felt it was important to be thorough and we remain committed to ensuring we are doing all we can to prevent this happening again. We feel confident that the recommendations, along with our programme of improvement work, will help us to achieve this. Those directly affected have been informed of the outcome of the review.
We would like to extend our thanks to Professor McLachlan for his work and to all those who gave up their valuable time to contribute to the review. We are now focused on the future and in delivering our workplan for the benefit of all our members.
Please contact membership@rcem.ac.uk if you have any queries.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is the single authoritative body for Emergency Medicine in the UK. Emergency Medicine is the medical specialty which provides doctors and consultants to A&E departments in the NHS in the UK and other healthcare systems across the world.
The Royal College works to ensure high quality care by setting and monitoring standards of care, and providing expert guidance and advice on policy to relevant bodies on matters relating to Emergency Medicine.
The Royal College has over 11,000 fellows and members, who are doctors and consultants in emergency departments working in the health services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and across the world.
