Occupational Therapist CPD: HCPC Requirements Explained

Occupational therapists registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) must keep their continuing professional development (CPD) up to date, but the HCPC does not set a number of hours. According to the HCPC, you need a continuous record of varied learning that is relevant to your current or future scope of practice, that improves your practice and that benefits service users. If you are selected at renewal, you submit a written profile with evidence. This guide covers HCPC-registered occupational therapists (OTs) across the UK.

What the HCPC expects from occupational therapist CPD

The HCPC's guidance on CPD and your registration sets out five standards. A registrant must:

• maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities;
• demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice;
• seek to ensure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery;
• seek to ensure that their CPD benefits the service user; and
• upon request, present a written profile, which must be their own work and supported by evidence.

These sit alongside the HCPC's Standards of conduct, performance and ethics. The current edition took effect on 1 September 2024, and standard 3.4 says you must keep your knowledge and skills up to date and relevant to your scope of practice, through continuing professional development.

The "relevant to your scope of practice" wording matters, because it means your CPD should fit the work you do now or are moving towards, not a generic checklist.

How many CPD hours do occupational therapists need?

None are specified. The HCPC states: "We do not set a number of hours or points that you have to complete." In its own words, CPD is about quality, not quantity, and it does not require a specific recording format. Paper or electronic records are both fine, as long as you can access them if you are selected for audit.

What counts as CPD for an OT?

The HCPC says any activity from which you learn or develop professionally can be eligible. It groups activities into four categories and expects at least two different types of activity.

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) makes a similar point in an article for members. It says CPD is not limited to courses, and lists reading, podcasts, supervision, social media discussions, audits and reflections as examples. It also notes that one strong example can cover more than one HCPC standard.

When do occupational therapists renew?

HCPC registration renews every two years. You make a professional declaration and pay a fee. According to the HCPC's "when to renew" page, the occupational therapist renewal window opens on 1 August 2027 and closes on 31 October 2027. Check your own HCPC account for your dates.

How does the HCPC CPD audit work?

At the start of each renewal, the HCPC randomly selects 2.5 per cent of each profession and asks them to submit a CPD profile. According to the HCPC:

• Only registrants who have been registered for two years or more can be audited.
• Selection is random, so you could be picked more than once.
• If selected, you renew as normal and submit your profile by your renewal deadline. The guidance says you get about three months, with a reminder about a month before.
• Assessors can decide that the profile meets the standards, ask for more information, or decide it does not meet the standards. In that case they may allow up to three extra months to fix it, and otherwise you may be removed from the Register.
• You can appeal a removal decision and you stay registered while an appeal is pending.
• You can ask to defer for unavoidable circumstances, for example serious illness, bereavement or maternity leave. You are then audited automatically at the next renewal.

The HCPC's published figures for the 2021 to 2023 renewal cycle show 832 occupational therapists were asked for a profile. These are the most recent OT figures on the HCPC's CPD audit data page at the time of writing.

What goes into the CPD profile?

The HCPC describes four parts:

• Summary of recent work: up to 500 words on your role, responsibilities and the people you work with. It can be based on your job description.
• Dated list of CPD activities: everything since your last renewal. Explain any gap of three or more consecutive months.
• Personal statement: up to 1,500 words on how your CPD improved the quality of your work and benefited service users. The HCPC suggests choosing activities from the last two years and saying what you did, what you learnt, what you now do differently and who benefited.
• Supporting evidence: only for the activities you discuss in the statement.

The HCPC's tips include writing in the first person, numbering your evidence and removing identifiable service user information. If you were away from work, RCOT's article advises explaining the gap clearly and focusing on the CPD you did complete. Our guide to preparing for an HCPC CPD audit and what to submit goes through the process step by step.

Support from RCOT

The HCPC sets the rules. RCOT offers tools to its members. According to RCOT:

• Members get a CPD portfolio for recording activities, reflections and evidence. RCOT describes it as a way to meet HCPC standards and prepare for audits. It is included with membership.
• The Career Development Framework (second edition, January 2022) can be used as the basis for a reflective learning activity and to plan your CPD. It has four pillars of practice: professional practice, facilitation of learning, leadership, and evidence, research and development. RCOT has said a revised edition would be published in 2026, so check its website to see whether the new version is out before relying on the 2022 one.
• RCOT points members to its "Principles for continuing development and lifelong learning in health and social care (2022)".
• A CPD audit support page links to HCPC resources and member support, including the Professional Advisory Service.

RCOT pages do not say that using these tools guarantees an audit pass. What matters to the HCPC is the content of your profile.

A practical checklist

• Record each activity soon after it happens, with the date.
• Write one or two lines on what you learnt and what changed in your practice.
• Use more than one type of activity across the cycle.
• Keep evidence as you go, with service user details removed.
• Note why there is a quiet spell if you have a gap of three months or more.
• Check your record against the five standards before each renewal.

More general CPD guidance is on our CPD hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do OTs need a minimum number of CPD hours?

No. The HCPC does not set hours or points and focuses on the outcomes of your learning.

Do I need an RCOT membership to meet the HCPC's CPD standards?

The HCPC does not prescribe a format or tool for your record. RCOT's portfolio is a member benefit, but the HCPC's standards apply to every registrant.

Can I be audited soon after I qualify?

The HCPC only audits registrants who have been registered for two years or more.

What if I was on leave during the cycle?

You can ask to defer the audit for unavoidable circumstances. If you do not defer, explain any gap of three months or more and focus on the CPD you did complete.

Do I need to keep evidence for every activity?

You need evidence for the activities you describe in your profile. The HCPC's guidance says to supply evidence that each activity you describe took place.

In short

Keep a running record, use a mix of activities and note what changed in your practice and for the people you support. Do that, and an HCPC request becomes a tidy-up job, not a scramble.

This article is general information, not regulatory or professional advice. Always check current requirements with the HCPC and your employer.