HCPC CPD Audit Guide - written by PeriCentra (Updated)
HCPC CPD Audit: A Practical Guide for Registrants
2026 Edition, revised October 2026 | 25-page PDF | by PeriCentra CPD Academy
Selected for an HCPC CPD audit and not sure where to start? This guide takes you from “what do I do?” to a clear, honest, evidence-based profile you can submit with confidence.
Most registrants who are selected pass. The ones who struggle usually can’t show what they learned or what changed. This guide shows you how to do exactly that, in plain English, with examples from real theatre practice.
What’s inside?
Understand the audit
- How selection, submission and assessment work, step by step
- Key facts at a glance: 2.5% random selection, the two-year rule, the ~3-month window, deferral and appeals
- The five HCPC CPD standards decoded: what assessors look for, with a perioperative tip for each
Choose the right CPD
- What counts as CPD, with theatre examples across work-based, professional, formal and self-directed learning
- A simple five-point scoring test to pick your strongest 4-6 activities
- A guide to matching the right evidence to each activity
Write with confidence
- The What? So what? Now what? reflection framework
- Weak-versus-strong comparisons and sentence starters
- Four fully worked, anonymised reflections from perioperative practice
- How to write your practice history summary and standards statement
Evidence and confidentiality
- What to submit, how to label it, and what to leave out
- A “remove and replace” anonymisation guide with a before-and-after example
- Why your CV isn’t CPD evidence
Stay organised and calm
- A 12-week countdown plan and a 7-day rescue plan for patchy records
- The 12 most common mistakes, with fixes
- Guidance on deferral and what happens if a profile isn’t accepted first time
Ready-to-use tools
- A final audit checklist, 11 FAQs, and printable templates: reflection form, CPD log, activity scoring grid and evidence index
Who it’s for?
ODPs and other HCPC-registered practitioners in or around the perioperative pathway, plus mentors, educators and managers supporting them. The principles apply to every HCPC profession.
Why this edition?
Revised October 2026 against current published HCPC information, so you’re not working from outdated advice. Improved content and depth.
Please note
This is an independent guide from PeriCentra CPD Academy and is not official HCPC guidance. Always follow the instructions and deadlines in your own HCPC account and audit correspondence. Nurses and midwives follow NMC revalidation rather than the HCPC audit.