Frequently asked questions

The suspension of the CPD scheme due to the pandemic gave the Faculty a good opportunity to reflect on the scheme. Whilst the old CPD policy focused on counting credits and a strenuous audit process to improve reflection amongst practitioners, we felt it was time to put the emphasis on reflective learning and the link to personal development. FPH has a responsibility to support and encourage the development of our members as reflective practitioners. The new CPD policy puts members in charge of their reflective writing instead of focusing on a target to achieve.

The main changes are:

1. There is no longer a requirement to complete a minimum of 50 CPD credits per CPD year. This is now replaced by a requirement to submit between 3 and 6 reflective notes linked to your PDP.

2. There is no longer an annual CPD audit process with satisfactory or unsatisfactory as an outcome. This is now replaced by a non-judgemental and supportive feedback exercise, with no determined outcome other than advice on how to improve the quality of your reflection.

The new CPD policy is effective from 1 April 2022.

Yes, you are still required to submit an annual return before 30 April each year.

The new CPD diary launched in March 2023 and is available via the members' portal.

The new diary has similar functionality to the old diary, but is set out slightly differently to reflect the change in emphasis in our new CPD policy. It is more secure and will have additional functionality (such as storing your CPD certificates). The main wording and structure in the dairy, for example, competences, domains and headings for reflective notes will remain the same.

Yes, you will still get an annual certification of good standing for CPD. Once you have submitted your annual return, your CPD certificate will be available to download from "My CPD" and "Annual CPD returns" in the members portal.

No. The audit process is now abolished and has been replaced by an annual feedback review.

The audit gave an outcome effectively of ‘pass or fail’. This is no longer the case. The annual review will be a supportive exercise where advice will be provided to improve reflective practice only. There is no 'pass/fail' outcome to the annual review.

It’s completely up to you. You can record as many CPD activities in the online diary as you want. All we ask is that you submit between 3 and 6 reflective notes that are linked to your PDP every year as this will form your annual return.

Yes. You can record as many reflective notes as you want. But for the purpose of your annual return, we will need you to submit a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 reflective notes that are linked to your PDP.

No. The GMC does not ask for a specific number of hours of CPD each year or a particular number of CPD credits. They only request that you undertake an appropriate level of CPD to remain up to date in your scope of work. Providing between 3 and 6 reflective notes linked to your PDP is a good way to demonstrate appropriate CPD covering the whole of your practice.

You will still receive a CPD certificate of good standing when you submit your annual return and you can continue to use it as supporting information at your appraisal. The reflective notes that you enter in the CPD online diary can also be downloaded and used as supporting information.

The requirements are the same for all. You should record your reflective notes and submit between 3 to 6 reflective notes that are linked to your PDP as your annual return.

The requirements are the same for all grades of membership. You should record your reflective notes and submit between 3 to 6 reflective notes that are linked to your PDP as your annual return.

Yes, if you wish to revalidate. The content of your CPD activities should reflect and support your whole scope of practice.

Yes, all members still undertaking any public health practice, however infrequently that is, should participate in the CPD scheme.

If you remain on your professional register and need to revalidate, yes. Otherwise, no.

All public health professionals should undertake CPD to demonstrate they are up to date.

Member and Fellows through distinction and International practitioners of FPH are now automatically exempted from participating in the FPH CPD Scheme. However, if you hold a UK licence to practice, you will need to participate in either the FPH CPD scheme, or in another scheme which is more appropriate to your individual circumstances. You should discuss this with your designed body for revalidation.

Let us know, and we will enrol you in the scheme. We also recommend you contact the FPH International CPD Adviser who will be able to support you.

The CPD year starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March and you have until the 30 April to submit your annual return

No. Since 2016 it has been mandatory to submit your CPD annual return using the online diary.

Members applying for exemption should complete an exemption request form in the CPD diary in the members' portal.

All the certificates are in the members portal ready for you to download at any time. Log in to the  members portal and “my CPD” section.

To retrieve current and previous CPD certificates of good standing, click on Annual CPD Returns on the main CPD menu and then click the Details tab where you can download the relevant CPD certificate. 

To access the online diary, go to Members Portal and "My CPD" 

When logging in, your username is the email address which you originally used to register for the system. Please check that you have entered this correctly. If you have completed the 'Forgotten your password' form, your password reset will be sent to this address. If you are still experiencing difficulties when trying to log in to the system, please contact cpd@fph.org.uk.

You can keep all your details up to date by logging in to Members portal  and going to "My Details" section. 

Log in to the diary, go to This year’s CPD activities (or select date range under All CPD activities), scroll down the page and click on Download all as pdf.

From 1 April 2022, it is no longer a requirement to record CPD credits. You should instead record a reflective note and link it to your PDP.

Teaching and examining, routine business meetings and committee activity, and routine academic activities (such as writing articles for peer-reviewed journals, chapters in books or official policy documents) are not normally creditable as CPD. However, sometimes such activities may provide access to significant new learning which may prove to be excellent for CPD. It is up to individual members to identify what constitutes new learning on which it is useful for them to reflect.

There is currently no option for recording any special circumstances on the online diary. You should contact cpd@fph.org.uk to inform FPH for any period of not less than 9 months in any one CPD year where you are absent from work. Or log in the members portal and "My CPD" and complete "Exemption Request" form.  

There is currently no option on the online diary to upload supporting documents.

The data is backed up by the software provider, so if there are any technical problems, your data will not be lost. When using the diary, please ensure you save your work properly by filling out all required fields marked by a red asterisk and then clicking on the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page

All data stored on the system is automatically backed up.

The CPD online diary cannot be accessed by any third parties. Your account and records will only be accessed by the FPH CPD Team for support reasons and only if requested by the user.

For further information please contact the CPD team: cpd@fph.org.uk