Gateways guidance: 15.7 Support for disabled trainees and reasonable adjustments

Although there is no anticipatory duty in relation to employment, there remains the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled trainees.

Medical Royal Colleges should review their examination arrangements against a policy background such as the Consideration of Disabilities and Special Needs in MRCP (UK) Examinations of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians which sets out the following provisions:

• Candidates should provide information about their disability or additional needs
• The Board can then agree to make appropriate arrangements which might include:
  
  • extension of the registration and completion period
  • enlargement of exam scripts
  • use of scribe or communication assistant
  • use of appropriate aids during the clinical examination
  • extra time for assessments.
• An arbitration process in case of dispute should be provided.
  

One deanery reported the following case:

1. ‘A trainee was training for a double CCST¹² in respiratory medicine and clinical pharmacology. His MS (known about at appointment) deteriorated such that he was unable to perform bronchoscopies (particularly as he had optic nerve problems). However, he was encouraged to focus on the clinical pharmacology, which he completed successfully, and, in view of his progressive disability, accepted the advice that a career in the pharmaceutical industry was safer than direct patient contact. He was successful in completing the relevant CCST.’

In another case, a trainee who had a malformed upper limb was excused from cardiac compression and intubation during CPR training.