CCTV Camera System for GMC Clinical Assessment Centre (GMC604)

The General Medical Council (GMC) helps to protect patients and improve medical education and practice in the UK by setting standards for students and doctors. The Clinical Assessment Centre (CAC) is an assessment centre based in the GMC's Manchester office and facilitates the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) exams and Fitness to practice examinations on average we carry out 50-60 PLAB examinations per year with each exam taking a maximum of 190 minutes to complete. We have 18 candidates completing the exam simultaneously with each candidate completing all 18 assessment rooms with two rest stations; there is a time limit of 10 minutes per station. Currently there are a maximum of 36 candidates per day (18 am, 18 pm).

The CAC Camera System allows the examinations to be monitored and lets the examiner interact directly with the examinees, using cameras, speakers and microphones in the 19 assessment rooms.

Each of the 19 assessment rooms has a microphone, a speaker and two cameras one in each corner of the room, diagonal to each other. All this equipment is attached to the ceiling in each room.

There are four viewing stations (three working independently) each one with the ability to view any one of the 19 assessment rooms, with one of these being mobile, allowing the examiner to move the viewing station to other rooms for privacy. Each viewing station consists of two viewing monitors, a button panel allowing selection of which assessment room is being viewed and a microphone to speak to the CAC speaker circuit and audio equipment (headphones). When a room is selected for monitoring, the output from one camera is displayed on one monitor and the output from the second camera is displayed on the second monitor.

The server rack currently sits directly outside the CAC office.

The key objective is to replace the current analogue CAC camera system with a new digital system or similar solution, to improve the overall video and sound quality in the CAC. This includes higher video quality cameras, new speakers, higher standard microphones and four new viewing stations that can all work independently.

This solution needs to be accessible, and as easy to use as possible for the operator when used for long periods of time, particularly during assessments that can last around 200 minutes.

Additionally, the old system needs to be replaced between the 15 and 22 December 2016 when the CAC is not in use, though these dates maybe subject to change. The new solution must have recording capability or be compatible with a recording solution to meet the future needs of the business.