Continuing Professional Development Background
We detail the background to Continuing
Professional Development and link to some of the key
supporting documents.
Keeping up to date through Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) is a professional responsibility for all doctors. CPD assists
doctors to maintain and improve their standards across all areas of
their practice, and encourages and supports specific changes in
practice and career development. It promotes good medical practice
and protects patients from substandard practice. Good Medical
Practice for General Practitioners, states that:
"You must keep your knowledge and
skills up to date throughout your working life. You should be
familiar with relevant guidelines and developments that affect your
work. You should regularly take part in educational activities that
maintain and further develop your competence and
performance."
As the key academic body for GPs in
the UK, the RCGP has developed a UK-wide CPD strategy for GPs. The
main principles of the RCGP CPD strategy are described in Professor
Nigel Sparrow's paper Good CPD for
GPs.
CPD and Revalidation
With the introduction of Revalidation,
GPs will need to regularly demonstrate that they are up to date and
fit to practise. An active, reflective CPD record enables GPs to
show that they are maintaining their skills in their practice and
allows them to develop professionally and to learn from more formal
experiences.
Key Documents
There are a number of key documents
that will assist in the understanding of Continuing Professional
Development and its background and these can be found here.