Healthcare practitioners have a responsibility to continually update their professional knowledge and skills for the end benefit of the patient or client. To this end the HPCSA has implemented a Continuing Professional Development programme. Every practitioner is required to accumulate 30 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per twelve-month period and five of the units must be on ethics, human rights and medical law. Each CEU will be valid for 24 months from the date on which the activity took place (or ended, in the event of post-graduate studies) after which it would lapse. This means that practitioners should aim to accumulate a balance of 60 CEUs by the end of their second year of practise, and thereafter top-up the balance through additional CPD as each 24 –month validity period expires. 

Mandatory random audits are conducted to ensure compliancy. Once a practitioner’s name has been selected, they are required to submit a CPD portfolio to Council within 21 days. Non-compliant practitioners will be given six months in order to comply. After the period of 6 months a practitioner will again be audited and if there is still non-compliance, the Professional Board will consider appropriate action. Practitioners are only required to submit their CPD portfolios when their names are drawn from a random sample audit and when requested to submit their completed form CPD 1 IAR with accompanying proof of CPD activities undertaken.