PSNI CPD requirements for pharmacists, in plain English

Short answerA full annual portfolio needs a minimum of 30 CPD hours, with no documentation time counted, arranged into between 4 and 10 cycles. A partial portfolio (minimum 15 hours) is only available where the Registrar grants extenuating circumstances. Early submissions on joining and each reassessment stage require 3 cycles and at least 10 hours.

Short answerActivities must relate to your current scope of practice and the safe, effective practice of pharmacy, and be undertaken and recorded within the CPD year. At least 75% of cycles must be evaluated in practice; up to 25% may use simulated or future application. Delivering training does not count as learning hours; MCQs alone do not count.

Short answerA selected portfolio is assessed by an independent assessor, with a second verifying and a third arbitrating if they disagree; results take around 8–10 weeks. To pass, at least 50% of cycles must meet the standard. A fail leads to Reassessment 1, then Reassessment 2 (3 new cycles, 10 hours, 9 weeks each), then a Registrar decision that may begin removal.

Short answerThe CPD year runs 1 June to 31 May. The ROL portal accepts submissions from 09:00 on 1 April until midnight on 31 May, and you can amend until then. Missing the deadline without reasonable excuse is non-compliance; if nothing is submitted by the end of the 7-day extension, the statutory removal procedure begins.