Quick comparison: CPD requirements by regulator
If you only need the headline, this table sets out what each of the main UK regulators asks for. The detail follows below. Requirements change from time to time, so always check your regulator's website before you submit anything.
| Regulator | Who it covers | CPD requirement | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMC | Nurses, midwives, nursing associates | 35 hours of CPD, including 20 hours of participatory learning, as part of revalidation | Every three years |
| GMC | Doctors (licensed) | No fixed number of hours set by the GMC. CPD is discussed at annual appraisal as part of supporting information | Annual appraisal, revalidation usually every five years |
| GPhC | Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians | Four CPD records (at least two planned), one peer discussion and one reflective account | Every year, at renewal |
| HCPC | Physiotherapists, paramedics, OTs, radiographers and other HCPC professions | Meet five CPD standards. No hours target. 2.5% of each profession randomly audited at renewal | Two-year registration cycle |
NMC: how many CPD hours do nurses and midwives need?
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates revalidate with the NMC every three years. CPD is one of several requirements. According to the NMC, over each three-year period you need:
- 450 practice hours, or 900 if you are renewing two registrations, such as nurse and midwife.
- 35 hours of CPD, of which at least 20 must be participatory.
- Five pieces of practice-related feedback.
- Five written reflective accounts.
- A reflective discussion with another NMC registrant.
- A health and character declaration.
- A professional indemnity arrangement.
- Confirmation from an appropriate person.
What counts as participatory learning?
Participatory learning means learning with at least one other person. That might be a workshop, a study day, a simulation session, a team teaching session or a group discussion, in person or online. Reading an article or completing an e-learning module alone counts as CPD but is not participatory.
You need to keep a record of your CPD, including the method, topic, dates, hours, and how it relates to the Code and your practice. The NMC provides templates on its revalidation website.
GMC: what CPD do doctors need?
The GMC does not set a minimum number of CPD hours or credits for revalidation. Instead, licensed doctors must take part in an annual appraisal with their designated body and revalidate, usually every five years, on the recommendation of their responsible officer.
At each annual appraisal, doctors discuss supporting information covering their whole scope of practice. GMC guidance says this should include CPD activity, along with compliments and complaints and any significant events. Once in each revalidation cycle, doctors also need to discuss feedback from patients and colleagues, and quality improvement activity.
Royal colleges and faculties often recommend an amount of CPD for their specialty, and some appraisers expect it. These are professional body expectations rather than GMC rules. Check your college's guidance.
GPhC: what are the revalidation records for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians?
Pharmacy professionals revalidate every year as part of renewing their registration. The GPhC asks for six records each year:
- Four CPD records, of which at least two must be planned learning.
- One peer discussion record.
- One reflective account, written against a standard for pharmacy professionals chosen by the GPhC for that period.
Records are submitted through the GPhC's online portal by your renewal date. The GPhC reviews a sample of records each year, partly at random and partly targeted. If you cannot submit without a good reason, a remediation process applies, and continued failure can lead to removal from the register. If something prevents you submitting on time, contact the GPhC early.
The GPhC also asks that at least one record relates to any annotation or specialist role you hold, such as independent prescribing. Check current guidance for the standard you must reflect on this year.
HCPC: what are the CPD standards and how do audits work?
The HCPC does not set an hours target. Its CPD requirements are outcome based. Registrants must:
- Keep a record: Maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of your CPD.
- Mix your learning: Show that your CPD is a mixture of learning activities relevant to your current or future practice.
- Improve your practice: Seek to make sure your CPD has contributed to the quality of your practice and service delivery.
- Benefit service users: Seek to make sure your CPD benefits the people who use your services.
- Provide a profile if asked: If selected for audit, present a written profile with evidence showing how you meet the standards.
At each renewal, the HCPC randomly selects 2.5% of each profession for CPD audit. Registrants who have been registered for less than two years are not selected at their first renewal. If you are selected, you submit a profile covering the previous two years. The HCPC says most people who are audited meet the standards. You can defer in unavoidable circumstances, and there is a route to appeal if your profile does not meet them.
What counts as CPD?
Across all regulators, CPD is much broader than formal courses. Useful activity can include:
- Formal courses, conferences, study days and e-learning.
- Work-based learning, such as case reviews, shadowing, clinical supervision and audits.
- Teaching or mentoring others.
- Reflecting on incidents, complaints or feedback, and making changes.
- Reading journals or guidelines and applying them.
- Professional activity such as committee work or developing local guidance.
Whatever the activity, the record should show what you learned and how it changed what you do. A certificate on its own is weak evidence.
Attended sepsis update, 2 hours. Certificate attached.
Attended a 2-hour face-to-face sepsis update with the ward team (participatory). Learned that I had been waiting too long to escalate patients with a rising NEWS2 score and normal temperature. Since then I escalate in line with the trust pathway regardless of temperature, and shared the updated flowchart at our safety huddle. Links to the Code: prioritise people, preserve safety.
Worked example: planning CPD across a cycle
Joseph joined the NMC register 18 months ago and works on an acute medical ward. With his revalidation date in his diary, he mapped out his CPD. He used two trust study days on deteriorating patients and medicines safety (participatory), attended monthly ward teaching sessions, completed e-learning on safeguarding and mental capacity (individual), and joined a journal club. He kept a simple log with dates, hours, topic and what changed in his practice, and wrote short notes after each activity. By the time he sat down with his reflective discussion partner, he had more than 35 hours, over 20 of them participatory, and plenty of material for his reflective accounts.
The key habit is recording as you go. Trying to rebuild three years of learning a few weeks before your deadline is stressful and usually produces weaker evidence.
How should you record CPD so it stands up to review?
Whichever regulator you are with, the people who review your records want to see the same things: what you did, why you chose it, what you learned and what changed as a result. A short, honest record written at the time is worth far more than a long one pieced together later.
- Date and length of the activity.
- Type of activity, and for NMC records whether it was participatory.
- Why you chose it, for example a gap identified at appraisal or after an incident.
- What you learned, in two or three sentences.
- What you have done differently since, with an example.
- How it links to your regulator's standards or the Code.
- Where the supporting evidence is kept, such as a certificate or notes.
Keep your records somewhere you will still have access to if you change employer, such as a personal digital portfolio rather than only your employer's system. Remove anything that could identify a patient, colleague or service user.
A note for internationally educated professionals
CPD systems in other countries are often based on credit points or a fixed number of hours from approved providers. UK regulators mostly focus on relevance and reflection instead. Learning completed before you joined the UK register may not count towards your first cycle, so check your regulator's guidance on what dates your records should cover. Asking a colleague who has already revalidated to show you their records can save a lot of uncertainty.
Common CPD mistakes to avoid
- Leaving everything until the last few months before revalidation or renewal.
- Counting only mandatory training. It can count, but a mix of learning is stronger.
- Recording hours without saying what you learned or changed.
- Choosing learning unrelated to your actual role or scope of practice.
- Forgetting to keep evidence, such as attendance records or notes.
- Including patient identifiable information in reflections or records.
- Misdescribing activities or hours. Revalidation declarations must be accurate, and false declarations raise honesty concerns.
Related courses
Appraisal and Revalidation Explained covers what the NMC, GMC, GPhC and HCPC expect and how to present your evidence. Building Your Professional Portfolio from Day One helps you set up a simple system for recording CPD and reflection as you go. If you are an internationally educated nurse preparing for your first revalidation, NMC Revalidation for Internationally Educated Nurses walks through each requirement step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours does a nurse need in the UK?
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates need 35 hours of CPD every three years for NMC revalidation. At least 20 of those hours must be participatory, meaning learning with at least one other person. CPD is one of several revalidation requirements, alongside practice hours, feedback, reflective accounts, a reflective discussion and confirmation.
Does the GMC require a set number of CPD hours?
No. The GMC does not set a minimum number of CPD hours or credits. Doctors discuss their CPD at annual appraisal as part of their supporting information, and revalidate usually every five years on their responsible officer's recommendation. Some royal colleges recommend a certain amount of CPD for their specialty, so check your college's guidance.
What happens if I am selected for an HCPC CPD audit?
You submit a CPD profile showing how you have met the five CPD standards over the previous two years, with supporting evidence. The HCPC randomly selects 2.5% of each profession at renewal. Most people who are audited meet the standards. You can request a deferral in unavoidable circumstances, and there is an appeal route if your profile is not accepted.
What records do pharmacists submit to the GPhC each year?
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians submit six revalidation records each year by their renewal date: four CPD records, at least two of them planned, one peer discussion record, and one reflective account. Records are submitted through the GPhC online portal. The GPhC reviews a sample each year and has a remediation process for late or missing submissions.
Does mandatory training count as CPD?
Mandatory training can count as CPD if it is relevant to your practice and you reflect on what you learned. However, relying only on mandatory training is unlikely to show a mix of learning or development in your own area of work. Most regulators expect CPD to be relevant to your scope of practice and to improve care.
Can online learning count as participatory CPD for the NMC?
Yes, if it involves interaction with at least one other person, such as a live webinar with discussion, an online workshop or a virtual group session. Working alone through a recorded e-learning module counts as CPD but is not participatory. Record how the activity involved others and keep evidence of attendance.
Related courses
Appraisal and Revalidation Explained
This course explains the difference between appraisal and revalidation, and sets out what the GMC, NMC, HCPC and GPhC each expect from the…
Building Your Professional Portfolio from Day One
This course shows you how to build a professional portfolio from your first week in a new role, so that appraisal, revalidation, job applications and…
NMC Revalidation for Internationally Educated Nurses
This course explains NMC revalidation step by step for nurses and midwives who joined the UK register after training abroad. It covers each…
Sources and further reading
- What is revalidation?. Nursing and Midwifery Council.
- The roles and responsibilities of stakeholders for revalidation. General Medical Council.
- Revalidation and renewal for pharmacists. General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Revalidation framework. General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Standards of continuing professional development. Health and Care Professions Council.
- CPD audits. Health and Care Professions Council.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.
More guides
How to Write a Reflective Account for NMC Revalidation (With Examples)
How to write a reflective account for NMC revalidation: what the form asks, how many you need, a weak vs strong example, and how to link each one to the Code.
How Doctors Should Write a Reflection for Appraisal and Revalidation
How doctors should write a reflection for appraisal and GMC revalidation: what to reflect on, a simple structure, a worked example, and what to leave out.
How to Build a Professional Portfolio as a Doctor, Nurse or AHP
How to build a professional portfolio as a UK doctor, nurse or AHP: what to include, a simple structure, CPD logs, feedback, reflection and confidentiality.