Which CPD Courses Do Hospital-Based Healthcare Professionals Need?

By Daniel Rodriguez|September 9, 2026|7 min read

Hospital-based doctors, nurses and allied health professionals should build CPD around their regulator’s requirements, employer-mandated training and the clinical skills relevant to their role. In the UK, nurses need 35 relevant CPD hours across three years, doctors must complete and reflect on CPD every year, and HCPC registrants must keep evidence of regular learning for possible audit.

There is no single magic course catalogue, unfortunately, no neat laminated menu that settles it all. The efficient approach is more useful: complete the training your hospital requires, choose specialty learning that improves your present practice, and save the evidence while it is still sitting politely in your inbox.

What CPD courses do hospital doctors need to maintain registration?

Doctors need CPD activities every year that cover their whole practice, alongside the wider supporting information required for GMC revalidation. The General Medical Council’s CPD guidance does not set one universal annual points total, which is both sensible and slightly less satisfying for anyone hoping for a single number.

Instead, select activities relevant to current and emerging knowledge, skills, specialty, responsibilities and development needs. Put learning needs and planned CPD in the annual personal development plan, then reflect on what the activity changed or maintained in the quality of practice. A course certificate without that practical connection is an awkwardly incomplete little package.

Annual appraisal covers the doctor’s whole scope of practice and is based on the values and principles of Good medical practice. According to the GMC’s revalidation requirements, supporting information also includes quality-improvement activity, significant events, patient feedback, colleague feedback, and complaints and compliments. CPD belongs within that bigger professional record; it does not replace it.

Professional group	Core CPD requirement	Useful planning focus
Licensed doctor	Carry out CPD every year; no universal annual credit total set by the GMC	Whole practice, annual appraisal, reflection and personal development plan
Nurse, midwife or nursing associate	35 relevant CPD hours in each three-year revalidation period; 20 participatory hours	Scope relevance, participatory learning and complete records
HCPC registrant	Regular CPD with a record, varied learning and evidence if selected for audit	Benefit to practice and service users across the two-year cycle

For doctors, a practical sequence is to identify needs at appraisal, choose learning that fits the actual hospital role, record the activity and reflection, then bring that evidence back to the next appraisal. It is less glamorous than a grand CPD spree. It is also much easier to defend.

What are the best hospital-based training programs for nurses?

The best hospital-based nursing training programs are the ones that meet required training, fit the nurse’s scope of practice and produce evidence that can be used for revalidation. The NMC deliberately does not prescribe a fixed list of course types, so the sensible choice is not “the ten courses everyone is taking” but learning that closes a real development need.

Start with the trust’s statutory and mandatory programme. The Skills for Health Core Skills Training Framework identifies 11 statutory and mandatory subjects for NHS trusts in England: conflict resolution; equality, diversity and human rights; fire safety; health, safety and welfare; infection prevention and control; information governance and data security; moving and handling; Prevent; resuscitation; safeguarding adults; and safeguarding children.

After that foundation, specialty CPD should follow the clinical work actually being done. A nurse moving into a different hospital area may need a different blend of learning than a colleague staying in the same post, and that is not a failure of standardisation. It is the point. Use the personal development review to agree priorities with a manager, then choose on-the-job learning, a workshop, e-learning or a formal course as appropriate.

NHS Health Careers notes that CPD can include on-the-job learning, courses and workshops, volunteering and e-learning. It also says NHS staff can expect an annual personal development review and plan. An e-portfolio can hold skills evidence, reflections and a personal development plan, which is a notably good use for a system that otherwise has a talent for collecting digital dust.

How many CPD points do I need per year as a nurse in the UK?

Nurses in the UK are not required by the NMC to earn a set number of CPD points each year; they must complete 35 hours of CPD relevant to their scope of practice over a three-year revalidation period. At least 20 of those 35 hours must be participatory learning involving interaction with one or more professionals, whether in person or virtually.

The arithmetic can be spread across the period, but leaving it all until the final stretch is a poor administrative hobby. Record the method, topic, relevance to practice, dates, total hours, participatory hours, relevant section of the Code and evidence of completion. The Nursing and Midwifery Council sets out these record requirements and makes the important distinction: the learning must be relevant, not merely plentiful.

A balanced plan can combine employer training, participatory discussion or teaching, and specialty learning connected to current responsibilities. The goal is not to turn professional development into a scavenger hunt for certificates. The goal is a record that clearly shows why the learning belonged in the nurse’s practice.

Are there free CPD courses for hospital staff?

Yes. Free or employer-supported CPD may include workplace learning, trust-provided training and e-learning, although availability and whether an activity meets a particular employer or regulator need should be checked locally. NHS Health Careers recognises e-learning and on-the-job development as CPD opportunities, so a paid external course is not the automatic answer.

For mandatory training, ask the employer which content is required and whether an existing completion record can transfer. The Core Skills Training Framework is designed to align learning outcomes and refresher frequencies, and aligned training can be portable between employers. NHS England reported in November 2024 that 89% of surveyed NHS organisations declared alignment to the framework and 76% used NHS England e-learning for healthcare content.

NHS England estimates that standardising onboarding training and supporting transferability could reduce staff training burden by up to 100,000 days each year. That does not mean every course travels flawlessly from one employer to another; it means checking your records before repeating training is worth the small effort. Staff looking for introductory support roles may also find this Free CNA, Phlebotomy and PCT Training Guide useful, though its pathway should not be treated as a substitute for UK registration or trust requirements.

For allied health professionals, free versus paid is only part of the question. The Health and Care Professions Council requires registrants to undertake regular CPD, maintain a record, use a mixture of learning activities, consider the benefit to practice and service users, and provide evidence if selected for audit. Keep notes and certificates in an ongoing record, in paper or electronic form, rather than trying to recreate two years of learning from memory. That particular cupboard is rarely organised.

The durable plan is modest: meet required training, agree a focused development plan, choose learning that fits the job in front of you, and capture evidence immediately. It is not dramatic. It is extremely useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are mandatory training requirements for NHS hospital staff?

NHS trusts set requirements by role, but the Skills for Health Core Skills Training Framework identifies 11 statutory and mandatory subjects for NHS trusts in England. These include fire safety, infection prevention and control, resuscitation, safeguarding adults and children, information governance, moving and handling, Prevent, conflict resolution, equality and health and safety. The framework also sets minimum outcomes and refresher-training frequencies, while employers decide which subjects apply to each role.

How do I find accredited hospital courses near me?

Start with your trust learning and development team, annual personal development review and manager, because these can identify learning relevant to your role and available employer-supported options. Check that a course supports the requirements of your regulator and keep its completion evidence. NHS Health Careers also recognises workplace learning, courses, workshops, volunteering and e-learning as CPD routes.

What clinical skills courses should a new nurse take?

A new nurse should first complete the statutory and mandatory subjects required by their employer, then choose clinical learning relevant to their supervised role and scope of practice. The NMC does not prescribe particular CPD course types; it requires learning to be relevant to practice. Discuss priorities with a manager during the personal development review and record why each activity matters to your work.