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Continuing Professional Development Key Documents

Below is a selection of key documents that will assist in understanding Continuing Professional Development and its background.

RCGP Guide to the Credit-Based System of CPD

In preparation for Revalidation the RCGP has developed a CPD Credits Scheme for all GPs. The scheme is fully described in the RCGP Guide to the Credit-Based System of CPD.

RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners

The RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners sets out the RCGP's current proposals for the processes and evidence that will be required in order for GPs to be revalidated.

Good CPD for GPs

The main principles for the RCGP CPD strategy are described in the Good CPD for GPs paper.

RCGP – a Strategy and Standards for CPD of General Practitioners

This Guidance for educationalists and education providers provides hallmarks of excellence in educational processes and practice and a self assessment system for practitioners and their teams which can be used to assess the quality of learning opportunities enabling maximum benefit from the opportunities available to them.

AoMRC Guidelines for Recommended Headings under which to describe a College or Faculty CPD Scheme

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) CPD Guidelines document with recommended headings under which to describes a College or Faculty CPD Scheme.

Description of the RCGP CPD Scheme under the Academy recommended CPD headings

10 Principles of Good Practice in CPD

Developed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges 'The ten principles for CPD' describes 10 main principles for the College/Faculty CPD scheme.

Personal Development Plan Guidance for Appraisers

A paper, 'Personal Development Plan Guidance for Appraisers', which provides guidance to appraisers on how to advise their appraisees on PDP construction, was endorsed by the RCGP Council on 14th June 2008.

Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners

A revised version of Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners (GMP for GPs) was published in July 2008.

Based on the GMC’s Good Medical Practice, the document was first made specific to GPs in 2002. Its aim is to provide important guidance to general practitioners on the expectations of their peers and the public as to their standards of care and behaviour.

The statements in GMP for GPs will inform the standards expected in Revalidation. The ‘exemplary GP’ statements will guide the formative discussions in GP annual appraisals, while the descriptors of an ‘unacceptable GP’ and the requirements for Revalidation will inform an appraiser’s judgments.