Paper for Council6thDecember 2013

Dear Council members,

Background

  1. On 2nd March 2012 the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee (PTC) learnt that the College had made significant surpluses on examination fees in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2009 the surplus was £604 000, in 2010, the surplus was £759 861 (after allowing for expensesand a 15% transfer to a development fund) and in 2011, the excesswas £603 678.
  1. The PTC had previously understood that the College did not seek to make profits from exams. It was acknowledged that as exams are organised before the exact numbers of candidates are known, the exams would end up inevitably making a small profit or loss. (Source: Interview with Anthony Bateman, then Chief Examiner, May 2011, PTC Newsletter)
  1. Although the PTC understand that these surpluses came about from an underestimate of the number of candidates sitting the examinations the news of these surpluses caused significant concern amongst trainees.
  1. Communication on the issue to psychiatrists in training was issued only by the PTC (excluding a response to a letter in the Psychiatrist by Wendy Burn in July 2012).
  1. In October 2012 Council responded to the concerns of trainees by agreeing on a 5% reduction in examination fees and a further discount of 20% for registered PMPTs and Affiliates.
  1. Council also passed the following resolution:

“The Council, having noted the recent substantial surpluses made from examinations, has reiterated its long held view that UK MRCPsych examination fees should not be set to generate substantial surpluses. Every effort should be made to avoid this when setting examination fees.

If in any year a surplus is made which is in excess of 10% of the examinations income then this surplus should be used to improve postgraduate training activities in the College”

  1. The PTC voted in favour of this plan and felt that discussions and collaborative work to achieve the above plan had allowed a positive way forward to be agreed upon.
  1. In September 2013 a paper “Examinations Fee Proposal 2014” was brought to Council by the Finance Management Committee. It recommended reducing the examination fees discount from 20% to 10% in 2014. This would result in an overall increase in fees of £39 for each of the three written papers and £91 for the CASC. Council were also verbally presented the option of a lesser reduction in the discount from 20% to 15% (a smaller overall increase in fees). Council voted in favour of the recommended proposal of reducing the discount from 20% to 10%.
  1. An e-mail message was sent to all core psychiatrists in training to inform them of this change. The PTC received feedback from trainees that the tone of the College's message (which spoke of a discount reduction and began with the phrase "we are pleased to announce..." felt distant and defensive), as well concern the increased costs were unexpected and excessive given the surpluses of recent years.

Issues to bring to the attention of Council

  1. Following discussion at the PTC Residential meeting on 19th October 2013 it was agreed that a number of issues should be brought to the attention of Council:
  1. The proposals to reduce the discount had not been discussed with the PTC before the Council meeting.
  1. Council was asked to make a risk-benefit decision on examinations fees in which financial risk was being weighed against reputational risk. We feel that the paper brought to Council did not present an adequate description of the risks and benefits (no reputational risks were mentioned).
  1. In the context of examinations the PTC is concerned that the distrust of both the PTC and the College that many psychiatrists in training reported to us after the surpluses of 2009-2011 risks leading to disengagement of trainees from College activities. The PTC also felt that the risk of legal challenges and accusations of bias in examinations will be greater if trainees do not feel the College is acknowledging and addressing this distrust.
  1. There is a wider issue of how Council is asked to make risk-benefit decisions. The PTC feel that it should be incumbent on Committees making recommendations to Council to outline risks and benefits in writing in advance of Council meetings and to have consulted all relevant stakeholders within the College in preparing this. The PTC feel that without such consultation or presentation of risks and benefits Council’s effectiveness as a decision-making body is compromised.

Proposals

  1. The PTC request that Council consider the following proposals:
  1. ATrainee representative should be invited to sit on the Finance Management Committee either from the PTC or appointed through a competitive process.
  1. Council should require that papers requiring financial decisionsto be made must outline the risks and benefits of the options.
  1. Council should require thatthat individuals or committees asking for decisions from Council should have consulted relevant stakeholders within the College, including the PTC, in advance.

Howard Ryland

Chair, Psychiatric Trainees Committee

Muj Husain

Past-Chair, Psychiatric Trainees Committee

Wendy Burn

Dean, RCPsych

29 11 13

Further information

Howard Ryland
Muj Husain /