Member access to Churchill House in April and May 2025

Published: 14/01/2025

We regret that Churchill House will not be accessible to members during April and May 2025 because of essential building work that must be undertaken at the earliest opportunity.

The invasive nature of the building work means we have made alternative arrangements for the provision of some services to members while it is underway.

The need for the building work is the outcome of a routine fire risk assessment and is unconnected to the sale of Churchill House. The assessment confirmed that while Churchill House remains safe for use by our employees and members, remedial work must be undertaken at the earliest opportunity to ensure full compliance with current fire safety regulations.

Work will begin in April and is likely to be completed by the end of May 2025. However, to provide certainty to members, for example in relation to exams, we have also made some alternative arrangements for June.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to members and we have taken action to mitigate the impact, detailed below.   

Examination dates and venues

To ensure continuity of our exam delivery and the best possible experience for candidates, we have arranged for examinations scheduled during this period to be held at purpose-built examination centres that provide a professional, quiet and fully accessible environment. These venues are in central London and close to multiple transport links.

One examination, the Primary FRCA OSCE/SOE, has been rescheduled from May to June 2025 to guarantee the best possible venue for candidates. We have written to potential candidates and our training networks to notify them of these changes and taken steps to provide flexibility and support for candidates affected by the changes.

The examinations section of our website has up to date information on all venues and dates, but in summary:

  • The Primary FRCA OSCE/SOE due to be held in May has been rescheduled to 2-6 June 2025 and will be held at the Royal College of General Practitioners.
  • The Final FRCA SOE will be delivered as scheduled on 16-20 June 2025 and held at the Royal College of Surgeons.
  • The FFPMRCA SOE will be delivered as scheduled on 8 May 2025 at a central London location to be confirmed shortly. We will email potential candidates and update the FPM website once the venue is confirmed, which will be in advance of the booking window opening on 3 February 2025.

These changes do not affect the Primary FRCA OSCE/SOE in January 2025 or the FFICM Final OSCE/SOE in March 2025, which will be held at Churchill House as scheduled.

We realise that any changes to examination dates and venues may cause concern for candidates. If you have any questions, please contact our exams team at exams@rcoa.ac.uk.

Events and meetings

During April and May 2025, all our events will be hosted online or at venues other than Churchill House as planned. We have not moved or cancelled any events and the calendar on our website is up to date.

While the building work is underway, all College committee, board and other meetings will be held online, unless you have been notified otherwise. If you are due to attend a College meeting during this time, the organiser will contact you with details on how to join online.

We regret that members and third parties will not be able to book event and meeting spaces at Churchill House during April and May 2025.

Fellows and Members room

Unfortunately, during April and May 2025 it will not be possible to use the Fellows and Members room at Churchill House.

All other College services

All other College services will operate as usual during April and May 2025. Most College employees will work remotely during this time, and you can contact us on all the usual email addresses and telephone numbers.