In order to maintain and enhance their professionalism, Physiotherapists and Chiropractors should make an effort to continually update their skills and knowledge through ongoing Continuing Professional Development. CPD is a continually reflective process that encourages learning from experiences and implementing this learning in order to maintain and develop throughout their careers and to practice safely, effectively and legally within an ever changing scope of practice.
What is considered as Continuing Professional Development? (CPD)
CPD can consist of a range of learning activities. Generally the most common type of learning activity is attending a physiotherapy CPD course, however, the other activities can include research projects, and educational events, group seminars and workshops, as well as reading about a particular industry topic, contributing to education based articles or initiating a professional discussion. As long as there is reflection upon these professional development experiences, then this can be considered as part of your CPD. CPD experiences should be evidenced and recorded in a professional portfolio which can then be used to share with others or be drawn upon to produce other documents such as a CV, profile or statement.
Am I required to undertake CPD as a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor?
To practise Physiotherapy in the UK you must by law be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the UK’s regulatory body for physiotherapists and other health care professionals. The Health and Care Professions Council has made it mandatory for physiotherapists to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and to keep a record of this development. If you are looking for somewhere to log and record your ongoing Continuing Professional Development training in one simple place, please go to the free myCPD Portal record tool.
The HCPC conducts random checks on a sample of the membership each year. All HCPC registered physiotherapists are required to maintain an up to date CPD portfolio. Whenever you renew your registration with HCPC, you will be asked to sign a form to confirm that you continue to meet the standards which includes Continuing Professional Development. The HCPC randomly select 2.5 per cent of registrants from their profession and asks them to submit their CPD profile. This portfolio must contain a mixture of learning activities relevant to practice.
Are Chiropractors required to undergo CPD?
All registered Chiropractors, whether they are practising or non-practising, are required to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This development can be in the form of lectures, seminars, courses and practical sessions.
General Chiropractic Council
The General Chiropractic Council Continuing Professional Development Rules 2004 set out the CPD requirements for chiropractors that they must complete each year. These rules are binding, and chiropractors must be able to demonstrate if they have exceptional circumstances for not completing their annual CPD. Chiropractors are required to complete at least 30 hours of CPD per calendar year with 15 of those hours spent with others. In addition there must have been some direct and immediate interaction between the chiropractor and other people as part of the learning activity. The rest of the learning may either be learning with others, or learning on their own, such as reading books or research.
CPD for chiropractors follows a simple format. Each year chiropractors must complete at least one learning cycle. A learning cycle is a learning need that the chiropractor has identified through reflecting on their practice, for example, looking into a specific condition or learning a new technique. The CPD year begins on 1st September each year and ends on the 31st August the following year. Every year chiropractors must send in a summary of their CPD activities to show the required 30 hours they have completed before 30 September each year.
The General Chiropractic Council rules do not specify that learning with others must be in a formal setting, such as a lecture or seminar, but may also include informal learning, such as practice meetings and discussions with colleagues. However, chiropractors will need to keep some evidence to show they have done this learning.
Why should Physiotherapists and Chiropractors undertake CPD?
Apart from being required by most regulators to undertake 30 hours of CPD every year, there are also plenty of other benefits for both your patients and yourself.
Benefits for Patients:
- Reassurance that the therapist is up to date with the latest techniques and treatments
- Improved patient confidence in the therapist’s abilities
- Improvement in the quality of care provided to patients
Benefits for You:
- An opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills
- Improved relationship with professional groups and other therapists
- Greater awareness of developments in your field medicine
- More expertise in your profession
Who is the governing body for physiotherapists and chiropractors?
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) is the professional, educational and trade union body for the countries chartered Physiotherapists, Physiotherapy students and assistants. It aims to support its members and help them to provide the highest standards of patient care. The Society is a member-led organisation, governed by the CSP Council. This is made up of elected CSP members and is supported by a system of boards, branches, committees and groups. The CSP provides an exceptionally wide range of member services and is also a campaigning organisation, speaking on behalf of physiotherapists and promoting the physiotherapy profession.
The UK Health Professions Council is a regulator and was set up to protect the public. The UK Health Professions Council currently regulates 13 health professions. All of these professions, including Physiotherapy have at least one professional title that is protected by law. This means that anyone using the title ‘physiotherapist’ must be registered with the council.
The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) is an independent statutory body established by Parliament to regulate all chiropractors in the UK to ensure the safety of patients undergoing chiropractic treatment. The council helps protect the health and safety of the public by ensuring high standards of practice in the chiropractic profession.
Keeping a CPD portfolio
Wherever you are in your physiotherapy career, developing and maintaining a personal portfolio is a necessity. To confirm that Physiotherapists and Chiropractors are doing the learning they are required, they will be asked to send in evidence which should be recorded in a professional portfolio. Using a portfolio to record learning experiences will encourage reflection and learning as well as building evidence to support professional development and continuing education. Using the free myCPD Portal tool can make it easier to manage any ongoing CPD requirements effectively. Store personal training records and track learning progress throughout the year.
CPD can consist of planned events such as a training course or it can occur as unplanned work based learning experiences such as a critical incident. As a planned event it will involve the identification of learning needs, the setting of learning outcomes and the making of an action plan to achieve these. Unplanned experiences will occur naturally during your practice. Where these incidents lead to reflection and learning then they can also be considered as a valuable part of your CPD. In both cases the use of a portfolio to record the experience will encourage your reflection and learning as well as building evidence to support your professional development.
Each year there will be a small number of cases where registrants have not met the requirements of the CPD scheme, or they have not submitted a CPD record summary at all. In these cases the HCPC or GCC attempts to open a dialogue with the physiotherapist or chiropractor to resolve any issues. However, there are instances where registrants do not engage with the process, or their CPD is so short of the requirements, that they will most likely be removed from the Register.
This article begins to outline Continuing Professional Development when working as a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor in the UK, the governing bodies for these professions, as well as keeping a CPD portfolio. For more information please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
Become a CPD accredited provider
We hope this article was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.
If you are interested in offering training courses, seminars, workshops, eLearning, or educational events suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please visit the Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team to discuss in more detail.
