Change to CPD requirements for pharmacists – annual ePortfolio Review from January 2027

April 10, 2026

During 2022/2023, the PSI undertook a review of the current CPD model for pharmacists. The purpose of the review was to ensure that the model is agile, adaptive, sustainable and delivers value for money, while supporting future pharmacists' practise in all settings. We shared the recommendations from that review and held a public consultation in 2025 about the proposed changes to the model.

The first significant change relates to ePortfolio Review, including moving from five-year cycles to annual submission, along with changes to eligibility, and linkage between engagement with CPD and continued registration. We outline these changes in more detail below.

Pharmacists must now participate every year in ePortfolio Review

One of the recommendations of this review was to ‘reduce the CPD review cycle period from 5 years, in line with best practice, including the removal of the restriction on the eligibility period during which newly qualified pharmacists become subject to the defined requirements.’

Following amendments to legislation introduced last October, from January 2027, pharmacists will be required to participate in ePortfolio Review annually. This includes pharmacists who were selected for the 2025/26 ePortfolio Review in January-March of this year.

Pharmacists registered for 12 months or more are now included in ePortfolio Review

Previously, pharmacists were exempt from participation if they were qualified for less than three years. Under the new process, any pharmacist who was registered on/before 1 January of the previous year will be required to submit an extract of their ePortfolio for review unless they have an approved exemption application.

Pharmacists who were not on the Register as of 1 January in the previous year will not be required to undergo ePortfolio Review until the following year.

Engagement with CPD is linked to Continued Registration

Another change being introduced is to create a linkage between engagement in ePortfolio Review and a pharmacist’s continued registration. Under the PSI (Registration)(Amendment) Rules 2025, the PSI can now propose to refuse an application for continued registration due to a pharmacist’s failure to comply with their CPD requirements.

What happens next?

The CPD system for pharmacists is now well established and pharmacists have demonstrated very high levels of engagement with the ePortfolio Review process. With the move to annual submission, we recognise that this represents a significant change from the current model. To support this change, the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) will be running engagement and support activities throughout the year and updating the ePortfolio Review support resources on its website.

We will communicate directly with all pharmacists during the summer regarding ePortfolio Review. We understand situations may arise where a pharmacist may not be able to undertake ePortfolio Review due to extenuating circumstances and an updated exemptions policy will remain in place and will be made available as part of our future communication with pharmacists.