There is no statutory number of CPD hours for care workers in England. Unlike nurses, who must complete 35 hours every three years for NMC revalidation, unregistered care workers are governed by an outcome, not a quota. Regulation 18 of the CQC’s fundamental standards requires that staff receive “such appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal as is necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform.” The test is whether you are competent for your role — not whether you hit a number.
At a glance: Nexis CPD offers £9 CPD-accredited online courses for care workers, with a verifiable e-certificate on passing — and any three courses cost £18.
What does CQC actually expect?
Regulation 18 places the duty on the provider, not the individual. Your employer must make sure you are trained, supervised and appraised for the duties you actually perform. In an inspection, that is evidenced through training records, supervision notes and — most tellingly — whether staff can explain what they would do in practice.
Because the standard is “as is necessary”, the required training is different for a care worker administering medication than for one providing companionship. There is no universal list, which is why “how many hours do I need?” has no answer. The better question is: what does my role require, and can my employer evidence that I have it?
Where the Care Certificate fits
The Care Certificate sets out 16 standards (since March 2025) for new health and social care workers in England, introduced in 2015 following the Cavendish Review. It is not, strictly, a legal requirement — but CQC and employers expect it, and it is assessed through workplace observation, which an online course cannot replace.
Separately, the Adult Social Care Certificate is an Ofqual-regulated Level 2 qualification. That is a formal qualification, not an awareness course. Where a role or funding route requires it, only the regulated qualification will do.
Registered nurses are different
If you are a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate working in social care, you sit under NMC revalidation as well as CQC. That means 35 hours of CPD every three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory — learning involving interaction with other professionals.
Be careful here, because most providers gloss over it: a self-paced online course completed alone is generally not participatory. It can count towards your 35 hours; it will not usually count towards the 20. Team meetings, supervision, reflective discussion, conferences and training delivered with others are what fill the participatory requirement.
What counts, and what makes it count
CPD in care is broader than courses. Supervision, reflective practice, shadowing, team meetings, competency sign-offs and e-learning all count. What turns activity into evidence is the same everywhere: relevance to your role, a record, and a note of what changed as a result.
Keep your own copies of certificates. Care staff move employers often, and training records held in an employer’s system are frequently lost on leaving. A certificate you can verify independently travels with you.
Which courses do care workers most often need?
Beyond mandatory induction training, the cluster that comes up repeatedly in adult social care is the legal framework around consent, capacity and protection — the areas where getting it wrong causes the most harm:
- Safeguarding Adults — the Care Act 2014 framework, the six principles and how to raise a concern; see our guide to safeguarding adults
- Mental Capacity Act — the five principles, the two-stage capacity test and best interests decisions
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) — the Cheshire West acid test and when an authorisation is needed
These three interlock: you cannot apply DoLS without understanding capacity, and you cannot safeguard well without both. Together they cost £18 rather than £27, because any three courses trigger the pay-for-2-get-3 offer — add them to the cart and the discount applies automatically.
Depending on your role you may also need medication administration, infection prevention and control, or moving and handling people.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do care workers need?
There is no statutory hours figure for unregistered care workers in England. Regulation 18 of the CQC fundamental standards requires that staff receive such appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal as is necessary to enable them to carry out their duties. The test is competence for your actual role, not a number of hours.
Is the Care Certificate a legal requirement?
Not strictly. The Care Certificate sets out 16 standards (since March 2025) for new health and social care workers in England and is expected by CQC and by employers, but it is not itself a statutory requirement. It is assessed through workplace observation, which an online course cannot replace. The separate Adult Social Care Certificate is an Ofqual-regulated Level 2 qualification, and where a role requires that, only the regulated qualification will do.
Do nurses in social care have different CPD requirements?
Yes. Registered nurses, midwives and nursing associates sit under NMC revalidation as well as CQC, which requires 35 hours of CPD every three years with at least 20 hours of participatory learning. A self-paced online course completed alone is generally not participatory, so it can count towards the 35 hours but usually not towards the 20.
Do online courses count towards care worker CPD?
Yes, where the content is relevant to your role, and a dated certificate provides the record your employer needs for CQC evidence. Online awareness training does not replace the practical, observed and role-specific training and competency sign-off your employer must provide, particularly for medication, moving and handling, and clinical tasks.
Which CPD courses do care workers most often need?
Beyond mandatory induction training, the cluster that recurs in adult social care is the legal framework around consent, capacity and protection: safeguarding adults, the Mental Capacity Act, and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. These interlock, because DoLS cannot be applied without understanding capacity. Depending on the role, medication administration, infection prevention and control, and moving and handling people are also common.
CPD courses for care workers
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18.
This article is general information, not legal advice or clinical guidance. A CPD awareness course is not a regulated qualification, is not the Care Certificate, and is not the Ofqual-regulated Adult Social Care Certificate. Online awareness training does not replace the practical, observed and role-specific training and competency sign-off your employer must provide — particularly for medication, moving and handling, and clinical tasks. Registered professionals should check requirements with their regulator.