FFICM Examination Regulations

Published 19/12/2022

15. Complaints

15.1     The Faculty recognises that on occasion candidates may wish to express their dissatisfaction with the way in which something has been done and feel confident that any such complaint is handled in a fair and consistent way.  Candidates who consider that they have grounds for complaint, regarding the provision of a service by the Faculty that does not amount to a request for a ‘Review’, (see paragraph 12), should use the following regulations.

15.2     A ‘complaint’ in accordance with these regulations, is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction or a specific concern, whether given orally or in writing, about the provision or quality of a service provided during the examination process.

15.3.   Complaints should be brought to the attention of a Faculty officer as soon as possible. All complaints given orally at the time of an examination taking place will be logged on an incident report form by the Faculty officer. Immediate action to resolve issues as they arise will be taken wherever possible and the complainant will be advised accordingly.

15.4     All complaints should be raised initially with the Faculty officer directly involved. The vast majority of complaints can and should be resolved in this way. If this does not resolve the matter, or this step is for any reason not possible or appropriate, the complainant should contact the Faculty by email or in writing, setting out in full the matter on which the complaint is based.  Correspondence should be addressed for the attention of the Examinations Manager, within one month of the incident occurring. Complaints submitted anonymously or on behalf of another party will not be considered.

15.5.    Where a complaint more closely fits a request for a Review or a matter such as a re-calculation, it will be reclassified and proceed in accordance with the appropriate regulation. Such reclassification will always be carried out so that the matter can be considered in the most appropriate and fair way.  Candidates will not be required to resubmit their cases.

15.6.    An informal and flexible approach to resolution of complaints will be adopted wherever possible. All complainants will be advised of the course of action taken to resolve the complaint.

15.7.    If following communication with the Faculty a complainant remains dissatisfied and only when all attempts to resolve the complaint have been exhausted. Then a ‘formal complaint’ should be submitted to the Director. Following discussion with the Examinations Committee, the Director will reach a conclusion on the complaint and determine a course of action.

15.8     Formal complaints must be submitted in writing to the Director, headed ‘Formal Complaint’ stating:

  • The nature of the complaint.
  • What has/has not been done to resolve it.
  • Why the complainant is not satisfied with the course of action taken by the Faculty/Faculty officer, and
  • what the complainant would like to be done to resolve the matter to their satisfaction.

15.9.    The Director will acknowledge an official complaint within five working days of receipt. A full response will be made as soon as possible. Full reasons will be given for the decision reached.

15.10   The decision of the Director is final and following despatch of the decision letter the Complaint procedure will be at an end.

15.11   Candidate confidentiality will be observed when handling complaints wherever possible. However, it will occasionally be necessary to disclose a complainant’s identity to progress an investigation. Candidates who engage in the complaints process will not be disadvantaged.