How to Prepare a CPD Portfolio for Revalidation

A well-organised CPD portfolio does more than satisfy a regulatory requirement — it tells the story of your professional development. Appraisers and regulatory officers look for evidence that your learning is planned, varied, reflected upon, and applied to practice.

What a CPD portfolio should contain

• A complete activity log — every CPD activity for the revalidation period, with dates, durations, and points
• Evidence — certificates, attendance records, meeting notes, or publication references for each activity
• Reflective accounts — written reflections demonstrating learning and change
• Feedback — from colleagues and (where relevant) patients, required by some regulators
• Significant events — analyses of critical incidents or near misses, required by GMC
• Personal Development Plan (PDP) — your planned learning objectives for the coming year

GMC revalidation requirements

Doctors must complete a minimum of 250 CPD credits over each 5-year revalidation cycle — approximately 50 per year. Credits are assigned by Royal Colleges and Faculties based on hours of learning. At least half should relate to clinical practice. You will also need:

• Colleague and patient feedback (multi-source feedback)
• A record of significant events and complaints
• Evidence of quality improvement activity
• Confirmation of your continuing fitness to practise

NMC revalidation requirements

Nurses and midwives must complete 35 hours of CPD per 3-year registration period, with at least 20 hours of participatory learning. You will also need:

• Five written reflective accounts, at least one linking to the Code
• Five pieces of practice-related feedback
• A reflective discussion with a registered NMC professional
• A health and character self-declaration

HCPC CPD requirements

HCPC-registered professionals (physiotherapists, radiographers, paramedics, and 13 other professions) must maintain a CPD profile demonstrating a wide range of relevant learning activities. If audited, you must provide a written CPD profile with supporting evidence.

Organising your evidence

Group evidence by year and by activity type. The most common mistake is leaving evidence organisation until the weeks before appraisal. Instead, upload certificates to your CPD record immediately after completing each activity.

myCPD Tracker attaches evidence files directly to each CPD entry and backs them up automatically to your personal Google Drive or OneDrive. Your appraiser can be given secure, time-limited access to your portfolio without needing your login details.

Using a Personal Development Plan (PDP)

A PDP sets out your learning objectives for the coming year and how you plan to achieve them. During appraisal, you will typically review the previous year's PDP and agree a new one. A simple PDP includes:

• Two to four learning objectives linked to identified gaps or interests
• Planned activities for each objective (course, audit, reading, peer discussion)
• Target dates and success criteria
• A review note at the end of the year describing what you actually achieved

Timing your portfolio preparation

Do not wait until the month before appraisal to assemble your portfolio. Record each CPD activity within a week of completing it while the details are fresh. A portfolio built continuously over 12 months is always more detailed and credible than one reconstructed from memory.