A breakthrough statement clarifying the rules about when professional exams can be taken has been agreed by the GMC, trainees’ representatives and the royal colleges.

It states that doctors who are already in specialty training or who enter by 31 October 2011 will be able to have any passes in previously approved national professional exams counted towards a CCT (certificate of completion of training), even if they were obtained outside approved training.

Guidance on the recognition of exams for doctors who enter a CCT programme after 31 October 2011 will be published in October.

Juniors say the statement allays concerns raised by a legal opinion obtained by the GMC which suggested exams taken out of recognised training programmes would not count towards CCTs. It should reassure doctors who may have made plans or have sat exams already.

The GMC says the furore over this issue has brought to light a number of misconceptions about the routes to the specialist and GP registers and about the recognition of specialties outside the UK. It has announced that later this year it will review equivalence routes and its standards for curricula and assessment systems.

The BMA’s junior doctors chair Dr Shree Datta said: “The statement should allay the fears of many juniors in or about to enter specialty and GP training. However, it is clear that discussions in the next six months will be crucial to iron out the role of exams in postgraduate training.

“There is no doubt that the input of junior doctors in the forthcoming review will be key to ensuring any proposed changes are relevant and beneficial to those who will be affected.”

Richard Marks, Remedy’s head of policy, said they were pleased that the GMC had listened to the views of the trainees. “This represents a major breakthrough for those doctors who had been caught out by the regulations.” But he warned that there were still some issues to be resolved later in the year.

GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: “The new legal opinion that the GMC has obtained has given us the flexibility we need. I believe all the organisations share a determination to understand and respond to the needs of trainees while ensuring that the coherence and integrity of training programmes are maintained.”

The GMC has backtracked on a ruling about exams being taken within approved training posts that was threatening the validity of some trainees’ qualifications.

Juniors were up in arms in April when the GMC published a note clarifying legislation which stated that exams must be taken with an approved training programme in order to count towards a CCT (certificate of completion of training).

Now, following legal advice, the regulator has announced that it is able to take a more “flexible” approach over the timing of exams.

The GMC, which took over the regulation of postgraduate training in April this year, says it will allow all trainees already in approved CCT training programmes to obtain a CCT even if they passed one or more of their exams before entering the programme.

The same will apply to those already selected to enter CCT training programmes in August.

The GMC will now draw up proposals for discussion on the timing of examinations for future trainees. It says it is clear that there is scope for flexibility to benefit doctors not currently in or about to enter approved training.

A further meeting of key interests will be held in late summer or early autumn to discuss those proposals.

GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: “This issue has caused a great deal of concern among trainees and we are determined to sort it out as quickly as possible. We have a duty to ensure that exams and other requirements for a CCT form a coherent programme of training but we also have a duty as a regulator to take account of the different ways in which young professionals today plan their careers.”

BMA junior doctor’s committee chair Dr Shree Datta, said: “This change in stance by the GMC will come as a relief to many junior doctors who feared that the retrospective application of an officious legal ruling would have denied the CCT award expected after many years of training.”

But she said they were still concerned about the impact of the GMC’s previous advice on doctors currently taking exams in non-training posts as many may have put off applying for a training programme next year. “It is simply unacceptable for decisions that affect trainees to be taken without prior consultation and with no notice. Medical training takes many years and changes to regulations must take place with the full consultation of all stakeholders so that doctors have the information necessary to plan their careers properly”

She also said there was still some uncertainty about the long term solution. “The BMA will not tolerate advice which leads to retrospective changes to the career paths of junior doctors,” she warned.

John Black, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, commented: “The original proposal would have severely disadvantaged many trainees undertaking academic research, serving in the armed forces, undertaking voluntary work overseas or having to pause standard training route for any number of personal or family reasons. In doing so a lot of excellent surgeons would have found their qualifications ineligible and would narrow down options for personal development.”

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the GMC’s announcement signalled a much more flexible and pragmatic approach. “Junior doctors in the UK have had more than their fair share of anxiety with regard to training issues in the last few years, and the RCP is committed to avoiding further unnecessary hurdles,” he said.