CPD requirements by profession

GPhC revalidation: CPD requirements for pharmacy professionals

Last reviewed 16 October 2026

GPhC revalidation is counted in records, not hours. That sounds lighter than an hours target and often isn't, because each record has to carry reflection and two of the four components cannot be produced alone at your desk.

The four CPD records

There are two kinds of entry, and the split matters:

Four unplanned entries would not meet the requirement, however substantial they were. At least two must be learning you set out to do — which means at least two have to be decided ahead of time rather than reconstructed from whatever the year threw at you.

The peer discussion

One peer discussion a year is required. It involves choosing an appropriate peer, sharing relevant information about your practice, and recording what came out of it.

The common failure here is leaving it late. A peer discussion needs another person's time, and the person most useful to talk to is rarely the easiest to book. It is also the component most often done as a formality — a conversation held to tick the box produces a record that reads exactly like one.

The reflective account

One reflective account a year, focused on how you meet the GPhC's standards for pharmacy professionals in the work you actually do.

This changed recently and is worth noting: from 1 January 2026, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can select any of the nine standards for their reflective account, rather than being directed to specific standards for the year. That is more freedom and slightly more responsibility — the choice itself now says something about your judgement.

Records, not hours — and why that is harder

An hours-based scheme can be satisfied by attendance. A records-based scheme cannot. Every entry has to say what you did, what you learned, and what changed in your practice as a result.

The practical consequence is that the quality of the course matters more than its length. A two-hour session with clear learning outcomes gives you something specific to reflect against. A full day of general updates often produces a record that struggles to name anything that changed.

Where CPD accreditation fits — and where it doesn't

The GPhC does not approve, endorse or pre-authorise external CPD providers. There is no “GPhC-approved” course, and no accreditation body can supply one. Revalidation assesses your records, not a provider's catalogue.

What independent accreditation helps with is specific: writing the record. An AssuredCPD-accredited course states its learning outcomes before you book, which gives you a concrete reference point for planned learning and something precise to reflect against afterwards. It also carries a verifiable reference, so the activity is evidenced by more than your own account.

It does not, and cannot, satisfy a revalidation requirement on your behalf. Any provider suggesting otherwise is overstating what accreditation is — including about our own mark, which is why we publish what providers can and can't claim.

What to look for in a course

Whatever body you report to, the same four questions separate learning that will stand up from learning that won't:

• Are the learning outcomes written down? You cannot reflect on what a course changed if it never said what it intended to teach.
• Is the hour claim justified, or just asserted? An inflated figure is the single most common reason a course fails our assessment, and it is the figure you will be putting your name to.
• Was anything actually assessed? A completion certificate for watching a video is not evidence of learning.
• Can the certificate be checked by someone else? A PDF proves nothing on its own. A reference a third party can verify does.

For a records-based scheme, the first of those does most of the work. A course that will not tell you what it intends to teach is a course you will struggle to write up.

How the UK bodies compare

CPD requirements are set independently by each body, and they differ more than most people expect. Three of the eight below set no hours target at all. Knowing which model you are under matters more than knowing any single number — it changes whether you should be counting time or evidencing impact.

Two practical points fall out of that table. First, an hours figure from one body tells you nothing about another — a nurse counting 35 hours over three years and a Chartered IOSH member counting 30 a year are doing very different things. Second, if you hold dual registration, you are under both regimes at once, and the stricter one governs your planning.

Five mistakes that cost people their CPD year

These come up across every regime, and all five are avoidable at no cost.

1. Planning against the wrong year. Some bodies run January to December, some from your own renewal or registration date. Diarise your date, not a colleague's.
2. Leaving the interactive part until last. Participatory hours, peer discussions and facilitated sessions all need another person's time. They are the components most likely to slip, and the least possible to do in a hurry.
3. Collecting certificates that prove attendance but not learning. If the certificate does not state learning outcomes and hours, you are reconstructing the detail from memory months later — and under a verifiable-CPD regime you may not be able to count it at all.
4. Recording activity but not impact. Every records-based and standards-based regime asks what changed in your practice. A list of course titles answers a different question.
5. Believing a provider's claim of regulator approval. None of the bodies above approve or endorse external CPD providers. A course advertised as “approved” by your regulator is misdescribed, and repeating that claim in your own record is your exposure, not the provider's.

Common questions

What does GPhC revalidation require each year?

Four CPD entries, of which at least two must be planned learning activities, plus one peer discussion and one reflective account. These must be carried out, recorded and submitted by the time you renew your registration.

What is the difference between planned and unplanned learning for the GPhC?

Planned learning is where you decided in advance to develop particular knowledge or skills. Unplanned learning is where an event happened that caused an unscheduled learning activity without prior thought. At least two of your four CPD entries must be planned.

What is a GPhC peer discussion?

A required annual learning and development activity in which you choose an appropriate peer or peers, share relevant information about your practice, and record the outcome. It needs another person's time, so it is worth arranging early rather than near renewal.

Which standards should my GPhC reflective account cover?

From 1 January 2026, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can select any of the nine standards for pharmacy professionals for their revalidation reflective account. The account should show how you meet that standard in the work you actually do.

Does the GPhC approve CPD courses or providers?

No. The GPhC does not approve, endorse or pre-authorise external CPD providers or courses. Revalidation assesses your own records, so no accreditation can satisfy the requirement on your behalf.

Do CPD hours from one professional body count for another?

Usually yes, if the learning is relevant to your practice under both, but the arithmetic does not transfer. Each body sets its own requirement, period and recording rules, so the same activity may need to be logged twice in different formats. If you hold dual registration, plan against the stricter regime.

Can any training provider be approved by my regulator?

Generally no. The UK professional bodies covered here do not approve, endorse or pre-authorise external CPD providers or courses. A provider advertising itself as regulator-approved is misdescribing what it holds, and repeating that claim in your own CPD record is your exposure.

What should a good CPD certificate show?

The provider, the date, the hours claimed, the learning outcomes covered, and a reference someone else can check independently. A certificate stating only that you attended is the most common reason people struggle to evidence an activity later.

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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 16 October 2026; those bodies change their rules from time to time, so always confirm against the official source linked above before relying on it.