CPD Submission guidance and platform updates

Dr Debasis Das

My name is Dr Debasis Das FRCPsych and I am the Clinical Lead for CPD.

I am pleased to introduce the pending publication of the updated guidance to Continuing Professional Development, which marks the first substantial revision in more than a decade.

This refreshed guidance reflects the College’s continuing commitment to supporting psychiatrists in maintaining high-quality, reflective, and evidence-informed professional development. It strengthens our approach to CPD by clarifying expectations, enhancing flexibility, and embedding principles that align with contemporary psychiatric practice and current regulatory standards. Our aim is to provide members with a clear, supportive framework for meaningful lifelong learning, while recognising the diverse contexts in which psychiatrists work and the evolving needs of patients and services.

Guidance: key updates

In this update we have made some key changes which you need to be aware of moving forward with undertaking CPD and making a submission to the college.

RCPsych certificate of good standing requirements: These requirements have changed and are as follows:

  • a minimum of 30 hours of clinical CPD (amended requirement)
  • two documented reflections on learning (new requirement)
  • membership of a peer group in which you have been an active participant during the cycle period (no change)

Hours: You now need to log an overall total of 30 hours of clinical CPD, rather than an overall total of 50 for eligibility for a certificate.

Reflections on learning: You will now have to log two reflections on learning that considers what you have learnt, the impact on patients and the services in which you work, and any further learning needs as part of your submission.

Domains: We have merged the academic and professional domains under the umbrella term of non-clinical so now there are two CPD domains rather than three.

Clinical requirements: If a doctor does not do any clinical CPD, they cannot be issued with a CPD certificate of good standing from the College, unless they meet the above requirements. However, one can use the CPD diary to record their CPD activity and discuss it during their appraisal without generating a certificate of good standing.

Read CPD: Guidance for Psychiatrists (publication pending)

New CPD Submissions platform launching 27 January 2026

We're also launching a brand new CPD submissions platform for you to make your submissions to the College to generate an RCPsych certificate of good standing. This updated system has key improvements which should make the process of submitting to the college smoother and more intuitive.

In a change to the requirements, you will required to log:

  • 30 hours of clinical CPD (amended requirement)
  • 2 reflections on learning (new requirement)
  • Peer group membership (same requirement)

Key updates

  • As we are updating our CPD Submissions system, it will not be available between 00:00 on 26th January to 09:00 on 27th January. The new system will be available from 0900 on Tuesday 27th January.
  • You will be able to access the platform from the members area or the CPD submission webpages.
  • All the information you presently have logged on your record will be available when you log into the new platform, this information will not have to be re-entered.
  • When entering an activity, you can now claim up to eight hours per day.
  • You will need to log detailed reflections on learning for two of your submitted activities per cycle.
  • In the first month after the new platform and new requirements go live, there can be a waive of submitting reflections on learning if your cycle is scheduled to end around this time. You will need to contact the team if this applies to you once the system is live,
  • The system now allows you to upload document evidence for all the activities you log. You will have the option to add evidence as you are adding an activity, before submission or after during an audit process.
  • You will have the option to amend your cycle start date on the platform, but please note it will not be possible to overlap with any other cycles.
  • Key resources including video clinics and FAQs will be available on the CPD submission webpages from 26 January onwards.

Contact us

The CPD team are here to support the changeover and to answer your questions about your individual submission. If you have any questions about the changes, please contact us at cpdqueries@rcpsych.ac.uk.