Free CPD Sources for UK Nurses (2026)

Most UK nurses can complete all 35 CPD hours across the three-year cycle without spending money. The free supply is large and largely well-organised. This chapter is a directory of the sources that actually deliver.

The big free platforms

NHS Learning Hub (learninghub.nhs.uk)

The central UK-wide free CPD platform. Access via an nhs.uk email or, in some cases, registration without one.

• Coverage: mandatory training, clinical skills, leadership, IPC, safeguarding, MCA, deterioration recognition, end-of-life care.
• Format: mostly e-learning modules with certificates; some live webinars.
• CPD category: mostly individual; webinars participatory.
• Estimated hours available: thousands.

e-Learning for Healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk)

Health Education England’s e-learning platform. The deepest catalogue for clinical CPD in the UK.

• Coverage: specialty-specific clinical learning across paediatrics, mental health, maternity, end-of-life care, oncology, cardiology, IPC, dentistry, allied health.
• Format: structured e-learning with assessments and certificates.
• CPD category: individual.
• Cost: free for NHS staff and most healthcare workers including agency and bank.

RCN Learning

The RCN’s learning library. Membership-gated for the full library; partial open access.

• Coverage: clinical skills, professional issues, leadership, revalidation support.
• Format: e-learning, podcasts, downloadable resources, live webinars.
• CPD category: mix of individual and participatory.
• Cost: free with membership (~£270/year for working registrants); some content open.

Live webinar sources (participatory CPD)

The participatory CPD floor is the harder one to clear via free sources. Live webinars are the main free participatory route.

NICE

NICE runs regular webinars on new and updated guidelines. Live attendance with chat/Q&A is participatory CPD.

• Sign up for the NICE events newsletter.
• Roughly weekly webinars across clinical specialties.

Trust-organised study days

Most NHS trusts run regular in-house study days for staff. Free, participatory, often unrecorded because staff don’t realise they count.

• IPC link nurse meetings.
• Specialty study days (cardiology, oncology, paediatrics).
• Mandatory training delivered in person rather than e-learning.
• Schwartz rounds (where they run).

Professional bodies

Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, specialty associations all run free or low-cost webinars regularly. RCN runs free webinars on clinical and professional topics open to non-members.

Specialty-specific free sources

Macmillan Cancer Support: thorough free training for nurses supporting cancer patients, regardless of primary specialty.

Marie Curie: free end-of-life care training.

Mental Health First Aid England: half-day and full-day courses, often subsidised.

Diabetes UK Professionals: free webinars and e-learning.

British Heart Foundation: free cardiac care e-learning.

Alzheimer’s Society: free dementia training.

Bliss: neonatal training for clinical nurses outside neonatal units who occasionally encounter newborns.

Reading-based CPD (individual category)

If you record reading properly, it counts. The free reading sources:

• NICE guidelines: every UK clinical guideline is free online.
• BMJ open access articles: substantial portion of BMJ content is free.
• NMC publications: Code, standards, fitness-to-practise outcomes, position statements.
• NHS England publications: patient safety, deteriorating patient, IPC standards.
• Care Quality Commission reports: free access to all inspection reports.

Each hour of substantive reading with a structured reflective note is one CPD hour.

What paid CPD adds

Most working nurses don’t need paid CPD to revalidate. Paid CPD earns its money when:

• You’re pursuing a specific qualification (postgraduate certificate, master’s module).
• You need a specialty competency the free routes don’t cover.
• You’re moving into a new specialty area and want structured immersion.
• You’re a nurse practitioner needing specific advanced practice training.

Paid CPD outside these specific situations is rarely necessary just for revalidation.

The free-CPD plan for a three-year cycle

A realistic plan that clears 35 hours, 20 of them participatory, all free:

• Year 1: 6 hours at a trust study day (participatory), 4 hours of e-LfH IPC and safeguarding (individual), 4 hours of NICE webinars live (participatory), 1 hour of reflective writing (individual). Total: 15.
• Year 2: 4 hours of student mentor activity (participatory), 6 hours of e-LfH specialty modules (individual), 2 hours of journal club at work (participatory). Total: 12.
• Year 3: 4 hours of clinical supervision sessions (participatory), 3 hours of NHS Learning Hub modules (individual), 1 hour of reflective writing (individual). Total: 8.

Total: 35 hours. 20 participatory. Zero pounds spent.

The next chapter covers CPD for agency, bank and locum nurses specifically. This is the group most often working without employer-provided study days or training calendars.