CPD requirements by profession

GCC CPD requirements for chiropractors

Last reviewed 2 November 2026

The General Chiropractic Council runs a straightforward hours-based CPD scheme with one feature that catches people out: half of it has to be done with someone else. A chiropractor who quietly reads their way to 30 hours a year, alone, has not actually met the requirement, however much they have genuinely learned.

The requirement in one table

Why “learning with others” matters so much

The 15-hour minimum is not a technicality to skim past. It is half the entire requirement, and it is the element most likely to be under-met by a chiropractor who defaults to solo reading or online courses. Learning with others means activity done jointly — case discussion with colleagues, peer review, structured discussion with other health professionals — rather than material consumed alone. A CPD log that is heavy on solitary study and light on joint activity will fail this specific test even if the total hours look fine.

New registrants: pro-rated, not waived

Joining partway through the CPD year does not remove the requirement, it scales it. New registrants submit 2.5 hours for each full month they are registered within that CPD year, with at least half again required as learning with others. The GCC's own worked example: someone registering on 1 January has eight full months left in the CPD year, so needs 20 hours in total, at least 10 of them with others. New registrants have an additional requirement too — a clinical governance element to be completed within their first year of registration, on top of the standard CPD.

Directed CPD: the topic everyone must cover

Each year, the GCC sets a focused reflection topic that every registrant, regardless of how they practise, must complete as part of their CPD. The current topic, for 2025/26, is safety and quality in clinical practice. This directed element counts within the 30-hour total rather than on top of it, but it is not optional: a registrant who completes 30 hours of other CPD without the directed topic has not met the scheme's requirements.

Audits and what happens if you fall short

The GCC describes its checking process in plain terms: it routinely audits CPD summaries and undertakes random sampling of reports, rather than checking only on suspicion. If a submitted return doesn't answer the questions the summary asks, the GCC may request more information; if a response is unclear, the GCC says it will work with the registrant to resolve it — a collaborative first step rather than an immediate sanction.

The serious consequence is reserved for wilful non-compliance: the GCC's guidance states that a registrant who wilfully does not comply may be removed from the Register, with a right of appeal within 28 days. A discretionary waiver is available from the Registrar, but only for genuinely exceptional circumstances such as ill health or bereavement. The GCC is specific about what does not usually qualify: work pressure, financial problems, retirement and disciplinary matters are listed as not generally treated as exceptional.

No exemption for non-practising status

Unlike some bodies that reduce or remove the CPD requirement for registrants who have stopped practising, the GCC does not. Its guidance is explicit that all registrants, whether practising or non-practising, are required to keep up to date. Staying on the Register, even without an active clinic workload, still carries the full 30-hour, 15-with-others requirement.

Where CPD accreditation fits — and where it doesn’t

The GCC's own guidance does not describe a scheme for accrediting external CPD providers or courses; it advises registrants to choose their CPD carefully rather than pointing to an approved list. An AssuredCPD-accredited course is not approved or endorsed by the GCC, and we have no affiliation with it.

What independent accreditation offers a chiropractor is a reliable way to judge a course before committing CPD time to it, which matters because the GCC puts the responsibility for choosing wisely on the registrant. An AssuredCPD-accredited course has written, measurable learning outcomes assessed under our Standards Framework, a credible check of learning, and a justified hours figure — the kind of detail that lets you judge in advance whether an activity is solid solo learning or something you can also use to satisfy the learning-with-others element, where it involves group discussion or peer interaction. A verifiable certificate reference also gives you something concrete to produce if the GCC audits your record.

If you provide CPD to chiropractors or allied health professionals, the GCC's own framework points to a design choice: build in structured peer or group interaction wherever possible, not just content delivery, since that is what counts towards half of a registrant's annual requirement. Our guide to writing learning outcomes that pass and how to design a CPD assessment cover the design side in more detail.

How the UK bodies compare

CPD requirements are set independently by each body, and they differ far more than most people expect. Across the twenty below, several set no hours target at all; several count records, pieces or outcomes rather than time; several fix a share of the total as structured, verifiable or participatory; and two tie around half or more of the requirement to named subject areas. The GCC is one of the few that fixes exactly half the requirement to a specific mode of learning, learning with others, rather than to a topic.

Three practical points fall out of that table. First, a figure from one body tells you nothing about another — the GCC's 30 hours a year and the BSB's 45 hours over three years measure very different quantities. Second, several bodies specify not just how much CPD but what kind: the GCC's learning-with-others split, the CII's structured hours, named topics for ARB and RIBA. Third, a body that routinely audits, as the GCC does, rewards a record kept accurately throughout the year over one reconstructed at the deadline.

Five mistakes that cost chiropractors their CPD year

1. Treating 30 hours as the whole test. It isn't. Fifteen of those hours specifically have to be learning with others, and that split is checked separately.
2. Skipping the directed topic. It changes every year and is mandatory for every registrant, regardless of how much other CPD you've done.
3. Assuming non-practising means no requirement. The GCC applies the full 30-hour, 15-with-others rule to non-practising registrants too.
4. Under-estimating the new-registrant total. Pro-rated still means a real number of hours, worked out per full month registered, not a token amount.
5. Expecting routine circumstances to qualify for a waiver. The GCC specifically rules out work pressure, financial problems, retirement and disciplinary matters as grounds for a waiver.

Common questions

How many CPD hours do chiropractors need?

The General Chiropractic Council requires registrants to undertake and record at least 30 hours of CPD each year, with 15 hours or more being learning with others. This applies whether you are practising or non-practising.

What counts as learning with others for GCC CPD?

Activity done jointly with colleagues or other health professionals, rather than solo study. At least half of the annual 30 hours, 15 hours, must fall into this category.

When does the GCC CPD year run?

The GCC's page sets the deadline for completing your online CPD summary as up to and including 31 August each year, which marks the end of the CPD year.

What is GCC directed CPD?

Each year the GCC sets a focused reflection topic that every registrant must complete as part of their CPD. For 2025/26 the topic is safety and quality in clinical practice. New registrants must also complete a clinical governance element within one year of registration.

How much CPD do new chiropractors need?

A pro-rated amount: 2.5 hours for each full month you are registered during the CPD year, at least half of it learning with others. For example, someone registering on 1 January has 8 months left in the year, so needs 20 hours in total, at least 10 of them with others.

Does the GCC check CPD records?

Yes. The GCC routinely audits CPD summaries and undertakes random sampling of CPD reports. If a return doesn't answer the required questions, the GCC may ask for more information, and will work with a registrant if a response is unclear.

What happens if a chiropractor doesn't do their CPD?

The GCC's guidance says that if a registrant wilfully fails to comply, the GCC may remove them from the Register, with a right of appeal within 28 days. A discretionary waiver is available from the Registrar for exceptional circumstances such as ill health or bereavement; the GCC specifically lists work pressure, financial problems, retirement and disciplinary matters as not generally exceptional.

Does non-practising status exempt a chiropractor from CPD?

No. The GCC's guidance states that all registrants, whether practising or non-practising, must keep up to date, with no separate exemption described for non-practising status.

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AssuredCPD is an independent CPD accreditation body. We are not a government or regulatory body and do not award regulated qualifications. AssuredCPD accreditation is not endorsement, approval or recognition by any professional body named on this page, and we have no affiliation with them. Requirements are summarised from each body’s own published guidance and were checked on 2 November 2026; those bodies change their rules from time to time, so always confirm against the official source linked above before relying on it.