HCPC audits CPD across all of its registered professions — physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, paramedics, psychologists, podiatrists, and more. Understanding how the process works will help you stay confident and prepared throughout your registration period.
How HCPC selects registrants for audit
HCPC audits approximately 2.5% of its register on each two-year renewal cycle. Selection is random — you may renew multiple times without being audited, or you may be selected on your very first renewal. Being selected carries no negative implication about your practice.
When you are selected, HCPC will contact you during the renewal process and ask you to submit a CPD profile within a set timeframe (typically 60 days). You must respond — failing to submit without good reason can result in removal from the register.
The four HCPC CPD standards
HCPC does not prescribe a minimum number of CPD hours. Instead, registrants must meet four standards:
- Maintain a continuous, up-to-date, and accurate record of your CPD activities.
- Demonstrate that your CPD activities are a mixture of learning activitiesrelevant to your current or future practice.
- Seek to ensure that your CPD has contributed to the quality of your practiceand the service you deliver.
- Seek to ensure that your CPD benefits the service users you work with (or would benefit service users if you were in clinical practice).
The emphasis on benefit to service users is distinctive. HCPC wants to see that your learning is grounded in your practice reality, not just a collection of courses attended.
What evidence does HCPC require?
HCPC asks you to submit a CPD profile, which consists of two parts:
- A summary of your practice — a brief description of your current role, the populations you work with, and the professional context you operate in. One to two paragraphs is sufficient.
- A statement of your CPD activities and the outcomes for practice — a written account (typically 1,000–1,500 words) explaining what CPD you have undertaken over the two-year period, why it was relevant, and what impact it has had on your practice and your service users.
HCPC may also ask for supporting evidence — certificates, letters from employers, course notes, or a detailed activity log. It is good practice to keep these even if not initially requested.
The two-year renewal cycle
HCPC registration runs in two-year cycles. Your renewal date depends on your profession and the year you first registered. The CPD you are expected to demonstrate covers the full two years since your last renewal — not just the most recent year.
This means you should be logging CPD activities throughout your entire registration period, not just in the months before renewal. A scattered, retrospective account assembled at renewal time is harder to write and easier for auditors to query.
Staying audit-ready throughout the cycle
The most effective approach is to treat CPD logging as an ongoing professional habit rather than a renewal task. After each activity — a training day, a journal article, a peer consultation session, a conference — spend two minutes recording it: what it was, when, how long, and what you will carry into practice.
Key activities to record for HCPC purposes include:
- Formal training, courses, and workshops (with certificates where issued)
- Conference attendance and any notes on sessions attended
- Self-directed learning: reading, podcasts, webinars
- Supervision — individual and group
- Peer discussion and case consultation
- In-service training, appraisals, and objective-setting
- Mentoring or teaching others
- Research, audit, or quality improvement work
How HourlyCPD helps HCPC registrants
HourlyCPD lets you log every CPD activity as you go, categorised and dated, with space for reflections and evidence attachments. At renewal time, your complete two-year activity log is available as an exportable PDF — giving you the raw material you need to write your HCPC CPD profile quickly and accurately.
Renewal reminders ensure you know when your registration period is approaching, so you are never caught off guard.