Executive summary
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a fundamental part of professional life for UK GPs, essential for both revalidation and delivering high-quality patient care. The GMC's guidance has shifted the focus away from chasing an arbitrary number of hours towards a more meaningful cycle of planning, reflection, and demonstrating the relevance and impact of your learning (GMC UK).
This guide provides a practical map to the CPD landscape that UK GPs actually use in 2025. We will cover the high-value offerings from the four most popular providers—Red Whale, NB Medical Education, NHS e-LfH, and Pulse 365. We will also introduce a simple, integrated way to capture evidence from your learning activities—including on-the-go Q&A—and export it for your appraisal using the new iatroX CPD feature.
CPD rules in brief (for appraisal & revalidation)
The GMC’s core principles for CPD are simple: you must plan your learning, do the activities, reflect on what you’ve learned and its impact, and discuss this at your annual appraisal. Your CPD should cover the breadth of your scope of work.
Effective reflection is key. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) provides excellent templates and guidance. Instead of just listing what you did, focus on the impact. Keeping a rolling log of your reflections is far more effective than chasing points at the end of the year (GMC UK, AOMRC).
Reflection Best Practice (AoMRC Template)
- What did I learn? (A summary of the key takeaway from the learning activity).
- What will I change in my practice? (The specific, practical change you will make).
- Which patients or colleagues will benefit? (The direct impact of your learning).
- How will I measure the impact? (e.g., via audit, patient feedback, or personal review).
Quick picks: the CPD landscape GPs actually use
- Red Whale: A primary care institution, offering popular update courses, on-demand modules, and a membership model aimed at keeping GPs current with practical, digestible learning (Red Whale).
- NB Medical Education (Hot Topics): Home of the long-running one-day "Hot Topics" GP Update, delivered live, as a webinar, or on-demand. It’s designed as a high-impact platform for CPD (NB Medical).
- NHS e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH): A vast and completely free catalogue of 24/7 e-learning for all NHS staff, complete with certificates and robust reporting for your portfolio (elearning for healthcare).
- Pulse 365: A GP-focused platform offering a wide range of free-to-attend online CPD events and on-demand modules, with a personal dashboard and exportable evidence for your appraisal (Pulse 365).
Platform spotlights (what to use each for)
Red Whale
Best for: Digestible clinical updates and excellent handbooks. Their topic-specific on-demand courses are perfect for targeted learning when you are short on time.
NB Medical Education
Best for: A structured, high-impact annual update. Attend the one-day "Hot Topics" GP Update (live or online), then use the recordings to dip back in for spaced reinforcement of key topics throughout the year.
NHS e-LfH
Best for: Fulfilling mandatory and statutory training requirements (e.g., safeguarding) and undertaking deep dives into specialty programmes. It provides a robust, free audit trail with organisational reporting, which is very useful for partners and practice managers.
Pulse 365
Best for: Flexible and free-to-attend GP CPD. It’s an excellent way to log participatory hours from a wide range of events and on-demand modules. You can export proof of attendance directly from your personal dashboard.
Evidencing learning with iatroX (Q&A → CPD entry → PDF)
A significant amount of learning happens outside of formal courses—often from a quick question that arises during a busy clinic. The new iatroX CPD feature is designed to help you capture this valuable, informal learning.
- Save & log conversations: You can now save your Ask iatroX Q&A sessions as CPD entries directly within the app. You can also add manual entries from your other CPD activities (like a Red Whale course or an NB Medical webinar), allowing you to keep all your learning evidence in one convenient place.
- One-click PDF export: When it’s time for your appraisal, you can generate a professional PDF report of all your logged CPD activities. Each entry includes the date, topic, your reflection, and any linked evidence, ready to be uploaded to your portfolio.
Build a “blended CPD stack”
A sustainable monthly cadence could look like this:
- Attend one major update from Red Whale or NB Medical (live or on-demand).
- Complete 2–3 e-LfH modules that are aligned to your Personal Development Plan (PDP).
- Join 1–2 live Pulse 365 webinars for participatory hours.
- Log each item in your iatroX CPD log and attach a short, structured reflection.
30-60-90 day roadmap (to de-risk appraisal season)
- Days 1–30: Choose either a NB Medical "Hot Topics" day or a Red Whale on-demand module to kick-start your learning. Activate your e-LfH login. Attend one Pulse 365 webinar. Start your reflection log in iatroX.
- Days 31–60: Review your PDP and fill any obvious gaps with targeted e-LfH programmes. Schedule a second Pulse 365 event. Use the iatroX PDF export feature to check your evidence mid-cycle.
- Days 61–90: Pick one focused Red Whale or NB module for a deep dive into a specific area. Finalise all your reflections. Export the final, appraisal-ready PDF report from iatroX.
Comparison matrix
| Provider | Format (live/webinar/on-demand) | Cost model | Certificate/evidence | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Whale | Live, Webinar, On-demand | Subscription / Pay-per-course | Yes | Digestible clinical updates | red-whale.co.uk |
| NB Medical | Live, Webinar, On-demand | Pay-per-course | Yes | Structured "Hot Topics" annual update | nbmedical.com |
| NHS e-LfH | On-demand | Free for NHS staff | Yes | Mandatory & specialty training | e-lfh.org.uk |
| Pulse 365 | Live, Webinar, On-demand | Free (sponsored) | Yes | Flexible, free events & modules | pulse-365.co.uk |
FAQ
- Is e-LfH free for NHS GPs?
- Yes, it provides 24/7 free access to a vast catalogue of e-learning for all NHS staff, complete with certificates and reporting.
- What is NB Medical’s “Hot Topics” course?
- It is a very popular one-day GP update course, delivered live across the UK and online, which is widely used by GPs to meet their CPD needs.
- Can Pulse 365 export my CPD for appraisal?
- Yes, you can export evidence of your attendance and learning directly from your personal dashboard on the platform.
- How do I evidence reflections?
- Use a structured template, such as those provided by the AoMRC or your appraisal toolkit. Focus on the impact of the learning on your practice, as per GMC guidance.
- Can I export my iatroX learning to PDF?
- Yes, the iatroX CPD feature supports one-click PDF reports, which collate all your logged entries and reflections into a single, appraisal-ready document.