Completing your CPD cycle: objective activity

This is the first in a series of blogs in which Stacey shares some of the common questions she is being asked by osteopaths who are completing key components of the scheme.

We want to support osteopaths as they complete their CPD. This is one of the reasons why we have undertaken an annual CPD evaluation survey so we can identify if there are areas where some additional support is needed. According to the findings of the 2020- 2021 CPD evaluation survey 20% of osteopaths reported feeling unconfident about their objective activity.

Osteopaths have recently been getting in touch with me and asking: ‘Does XX activity count towards an objective activity?’

An objective activity involves gaining external feedback on your own practice and you only need to have done one activity in this area within your three-year cycle. If you are unsure whether you have done an objective activity as part of your CPD why not check out this short video on what other osteopaths are doing for their objective activity. The video also suggests key resources to use if it turns out you haven’t completed an objective activity yet.

The most popular objective activities amongst you are:

• Case based discussion (70%)
• Patient Feedback (32%)
• Peer Observation (24%)
• Patient Reported Outcome Measures (24%)
• Clinical audit (18%)

You can also use the decision tree to check to see if you have competed an objective activity and if it’s the right one for your practice.

We have a series of recorded webinars and accompanying practical workbooks, which include templates to record your activities in case-based discussion, patient feedback and peer observation.

These workbooks are not mandatory to use but will take you through step by step how to complete each of these objective activities with a peer, as will the videos. If you head to the objective activity page, you will find everything you need.

We also know from the CPD evaluation survey that some of you (13-14%), have concerns about giving and receiving feedback. We have produced a video on this topic to help. Remember this will be useful for both your objective activity and your Peer Discussion Review.

When completing your CPD cycle

It’s important to remember:

• You do not need to provide us with evidence of your completed CPD, either when you have completed your cycle or when you renew your registration.
• You do not need to send us either your completed Peer Discussion Review or your completed CPD Diary or records unless we request them. You can watch this webinar explaining the Peer Discussion Review in more detail or find further resources, such as a completed PDR template. You can also read this blog responding to some of the questions we have received from osteopaths who are trying to complete their PDR.
• You do need to keep your Peer Discussion Review form and your CPD records safe.
• We may ask to see these if you are chosen as part of our Verification and Assurance process. We contact about 5 to 10% of osteopaths each year to check documentation, provide feedback and support and answer any questions about the CPD scheme. You can read a blog from my colleague Lorraine Palmer explaining this process in more detail.

All statistics used in this blog are from the CPD evaluation survey 2020-21 which ran from November 2020 to January 2021. A total of 350 osteopaths responded to this survey.

About the author

Dr Stacey Clift – Stacey is a Senior Research and Policy Officer at GOsC.

This blog was published on 4 March 2022 and amended on 18 August 2026.