What is CPD?Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the process by which Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians keep up-to-date through learning. It includes everything you learn that enables you to do a better job. We all learn from experience at work as well as from formal education activities. CPD includes both learning from work and learning from continuing education (CE). CPD enables pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to develop as professionals and demonstrate that they are competent in their area(s) of practice.
Who should undertake CPD?
All practising Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) must undertake and record CPD.
What are the CPD requirements?
The GPhC Standards of conduct, ethics and performance (September 2010) states:
Up-to-date and relevant professional knowledge and skills are essential for safe and effective practice. You must ensure that your knowledge, skills and performance are of a high standard, up to date and relevant to your field of practice at all stages of your professional working life. [Principle 5]
In order to comply with Principle 5 of the GPhC Standards, you must:
- Keep a record of your CPD that is legible – this can be either electronically online at www.uptodate.org.uk , on a computer or as hardcopy on paper and in a format published or approved by the Society and carrying the CPD approved logo (see below).
- Make a minimum of nine CPD entries per year – these should reflect the context or scope of your practice as a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician. At least three of the entries per year must start at reflection.
- Keep a CPD record that complies with the good practice criteria for CPD recording published in the Plan and Record by the GPhC.
- Record how your CPD has contributed to the quality or development of your practice using the GPhC CPD Framework.
- Submit your CPD record to the GPhC on request.
In addition to the mandatory professional standards above you are also recommended to maintain a learning portfolio with records of attendance and key learning points from continuing education and notes of other learning e.g. through work. This may be requested by the GPhC in certain circumstances, for example if there is a complaint made against you or if there are any issues relating to the authenticity of the submitted CPD records.
The CPD requirements apply equally to all practising Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians registered with the GPhC – these apply regardless of the number of working hours or position within your organisation.
In addition to the mandatory professional standards above you should also maintain a learning portfolio with records of attendance and key learning points from continuing education and notes of other learning e.g. through work. This may be requested by the GPhC in certain circumstances, for example if there is a complaint made against you or if there are any issues relating to the authenticity of the submitted CPD records.
The CPD requirements apply equally to all practising Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians registered with the GPhC – these apply regardless of the number of working hours or position within your organisation.
Please refer to the GPhC Framework for further guidance if you are a pharmacist from another European state or if you are taking a period of break in your work e.g. maternity leave.
What happens if the standards are not met?
Under the GPhC Standards of conduct, ethics and performance, you must comply with the CPD Standards which came into effect on the 1st March 2009 (updated in July 2011). The GPhC will keep a record of the outcome of every review of your CPD.
Should you fail to meet the required standards, in most cases, the GPhC will ask you to carry out additional CPD, usually targeted at specific areas of your practice. You will be asked to submit these additional entries to the GPhC for review within a specified timescale.
If there are considerable failings in your records and if you fail to improve them, the GPhC are able to cancel your registration or remove an annotation to your register entry relating to a speciality.
If your CPD records are thought to contain false or misleading information or fraud is suspected, the GPhC will conduct an investigate under their fitness to practice procedures. This could lead to your registration being cancelled.
Top tips for recording CPD
If you are struggling with CPD – don’t panic! The following top-tips will help you get started and support you with compiling your CPD records:
- Aim to document at least 1-2 pieces of learning per month. CPD is about your achievements and areas that you can improve upon, your first CPD record could relate to documenting a CPD record using an GPhC approved format.
- Decide which method of recording you wish to use to record your CPD – online, off line computer based or paper based. Ultimately the GPhC will phase out the paper based method.
- Look back through your diary of the last few years and make a note of the following and consider what you have learnt from these activities and document these as a CPD record:
o Learning events you have attended or undertaken e.g. meetings, PCT training
sessions on EHC, smoking cessation, training sessions on the implementation
of the new contract & new services, multi-professional training sessions /
meetings,
o Queries’ from patients or other health care professionals that you have “looked
into” resulting in undertaking a learning activity.
- Identify your learning and development needs – consider any areas of your practice that you would like to learn more about e.g. a clinical condition or new therapy
- You can start at any point of the CPD cycle when recording CPD (reflection, planning, action, evaluation). The GPhC states that three out of nine of your entries must start at reflection.
- Using a small notebook or your diary to make a note of any CPD ideas that you come across whilst you are busy at work to avoid forgetting them when you write up your CPD records at a later date. You could even download a notes application on your smartphone to keep brief records of potential CPD on your phone.
- Initially keep your CPD records simple – you can always add more detail at a later date if you wish.
- Discuss your CPD with colleagues and peers this will provide a broader range of ideas for CPD records. If recording online, you can provide others with permission to view your CPD records.
- Record as many CPD records as possible - when you are requested to submit your CPD records to the GPhC, you can select which entries you wish to submit and you can also edit them before submission.
CPD Records to Illustrate the CPD Cycle
Each stage of the learning cycle is identified by an aspect of the way in which we learn.
- Reflection on practice – (scheduled learning) there is a specific need or issue that you wish to address about your professional practice
- Planning – (scheduled learning) – this is when you have no specific need; however you have decided to increase you knowledge or understanding of an area relating to your professional practice.
- Action – (unscheduled learning) this is where an occasion or circumstance requires an action resulting in a new thing being learnt
- Evaluation – (unscheduled learning) – this is incidental learning, where through your professional or personal life you apply a new skill or knowledge that is the by-product of some other activity.
In the majority of cases you will find that you enter the learning cycle at either “reflection on practice” or the “action” stage of the learning cycle.
What is available from the NPA?
There are a number of training packs and material published by the NPA that may be used towards fulfilling your CPD needs. Please review the NPA Education & Training prospectus for courses you or your pharmacy staff could undertake. Additionally look out for training materials with the NPA Training Seal.
We are also shortly launching our new CPDEasy website where you will find even more regular CPD material to help you fulfil your ongoing CPD entry requirements.
Where can I get further information about CPD?
