PDP forms recommended by the College
This page introduces the forms recommended by the Royal
College of Psychiatrists for developing and maintaining PDPs. The
following advice and guidance might be helpful to psychiatrists
using the forms, copies of which are included as an Appendix to
this document. Forms A to D are those suggested and recommended by
the College, but peer groups may wish to modify them to their own
specification or develop their own forms. Form E is being
phased out and in order for members to remain in good professional
standing for CPD, members should use the College’s online system to
complete and download their CPD certificates. However, we are aware
that there have been problems accessing the online system in some
trusts, so until March 2013, members who cannot complete the online
return can use the old Form E.
Form A should be prepared before the meeting
of the peer group and will form the basis of the discussion.
Learning objectives should reflect acquiring, maintaining and
developing knowledge and skills as a doctor, a psychiatrist, a
specialist and in relation to particular aspects of the job and
role within the organisation or proposed developments in the job.
These are referred to as levels 1 to 4.
It may be helpful to refer to the following when reflecting on
learning needs:
Level 3: The College’s Good practice within
the psychiatric specialities. This is Appendix 2 of
Good Psychiatric Practice (Royal College of
Psychiatrists, 2000).
Some level 1 and level 2 objectives will need to be reviewed
on a 5-yearly cycle, for example, basic medical skills (CPR, etc.),
Mental Health Act updates, refresher courses on the use of
psychotropic medication and other recent advances in the management
of clinical problems. These objectives will reflect the necessity
of maintaining skills. Other objectives may relate to acquiring new
skills in relation to specific job requirements or proposed
developments, which in turn will need to be maintained and
developed.
Form B records the peer group meeting that is
held at the beginning of the CPD/PDP year. After discussions with
the peer group the agreed objectives of knowledge and/or skills and
their application (benefit for any improvement of health care) are
recorded together with a summary of the comments of both the
individual and the peer group.
It is sensible to limit the number of objectives to a maximum
of six. They should lead to an improvement in the quality of
clinical care and should be specific, achievable, realistic and
time-limited and have a measurable outcome.
The group will be able to discuss what resources or facilities
are required to meet the objectives and they may be able to obtain
advice from the College website to assist in this process. If no
appropriate resource is easily available the peer group might think
of setting up an educational event locally.
Form C records CPD activities. The following
should be recorded:
CPD activity in clinical audit, with the title of the audit,
its findings and the way in which the cycle was completed,
including implementation case conferences, difficult-to-manage case
discussions and similar events involvement in journal clubs and
local postgraduate meetings reflecting participation in the
education of others all educational activities such as conferences
and workshops (i.e. external CPD), even if they fall outwith the
educational objectives set.
Evidence of attendance, timetables and programmes should be
retained and be available for audit.
Form D records the review with the peer
group. It is recommended that there should be a minimum of two
review meetings with the peer group during each year to check on
progress being made, outcomes of educational events and to deal
with any problems that may have arisen in implementing the learning
objectives.
Form E is being phased out
and members should use the College’s
online
system to complete and download their CPD certificates. For an
interim period, members who cannot complete the online return can
use the old Form E.
The following forms for constructing a personal development plan
are available to download as PDF files or as editable Word
documents: