PSI ePortfolio Review 2027: Who Must Submit and What Happens Next

What is the annual ePortfolio Review from January 2027?

Until now, the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) selected pharmacists for ePortfolio Review roughly once every five years. In the 2024/25 review, for example, 1,391 pharmacists were selected, 1,363 (98%) met the standards and 13 did not engage. From January 2027 the review becomes annual, so most of the profession will now go through it every year rather than occasionally.

The change follows the independent 2022/2023 review of the CPD model, a public consultation in January and February 2025, and two sets of amending rules made on 23 October 2025:

• S.I. No. 508/2025, the PSI (Continuing Professional Development) (Amendment) Rules 2025, which require every pharmacist to submit prescribed ePortfolio extracts "on an annual basis or at such other intervals" as the Institute directs in consultation with the Council, and allow the Council to exempt a pharmacist "due to extenuating circumstances".
• S.I. No. 509/2025, the PSI (Registration) (Amendment) Rules 2025, whose Explanatory Note says failure to comply with CPD requirements "can lead to a refusal to continue the registration" of a pharmacist.

The operational detail sits in the IIOP CPD Review Policy for Pharmacists 2026-27, approved by the PSI Council on 26 March 2026 and effective from 24 June 2026. In practical terms, five things change:

What has not changed is the model itself. CPD for pharmacists remains self-reflective and portfolio-based, recorded in the IIOP ePortfolio, with no points or hours target. Our overview of PSI CPD requirements for pharmacists summarises that wider framework; this guide focuses on the review itself.

Who has to submit an ePortfolio extract in 2027?

The eligibility rule is simple: for the 2026/27 review, you are included if you are currently registered and joined the Register before 1 January 2026. If you join on or after that date, your first review is 2027/28. Once you are included, you are included every year.

The table below applies that rule to the situations pharmacists most often ask about. It is the core decision tool in this guide.

Two points in that table deserve emphasis. First, the PSI does not keep a non-practising register: if you remain registered while retired or on a career break, you must take part, or you can voluntarily cancel your registration and later apply for restoration. Second, travelling or living abroad is not a reason to be excused, because the ePortfolio can be completed and submitted remotely.

ePortfolio Review 2026/27 dates and deadlines

The IIOP has published an indicative timeline for the first annual review. All communications come by email, so the dates below only help you if the IIOP can reach you.

1. By 31 October 2026: exemption applications close

   If you cannot take part because of exceptional circumstances, the PSI's deadline for exemption applications for this review is 31 October 2026.

2. October 2026: you are told you are included

   The PSI sends the IIOP its list of included pharmacists. The IIOP emails each of them at the address on their IIOP profile with guidance and the 2026/27 Standards, and contacts anyone with a "Standard Not Met (Year 1)" result from last year.

3. Monday 18 January 2027: invitation to submit

   The ePortfolio system emails included pharmacists inviting them to submit their extract through the dashboard.

4. 31 January 2027: first submission window closes

   The first window runs for about two weeks. Non-submitters receive a final-opportunity notice in February.

5. February 2027: automated check and second window

   Every extract is checked against the System-Based Standards. If yours falls short, you get feedback on the additional cycle(s) needed and a resubmission deadline. The second window is for resubmissions and late first-time submissions, and neither group gets a further attempt.

6. March 2027: non-engagement notices and manual review

   Pharmacists who have not submitted by the end of the second window receive a non-engagement outcome by email. Resubmitted and late extracts are checked, and a sample from both windows is manually reviewed.

7. April to May 2027: quality assurance and outcomes

   A sample of manually reviewed extracts goes through quality assurance in April, and outcomes are emailed to all included pharmacists in May.

How many CPD cycles do pharmacists need for the 2027 review?

The extract is a selection of CPD cycles from your ePortfolio. It has to satisfy two layers of standards, set by a group of pharmacists from different practice backgrounds and published before the review opens.

Layer one: the System-Based Standards

These are minimums for the extract as a whole, not for each cycle, and the system checks every extract against them.

The ePortfolio dashboard includes a "Ready Reckoner" that checks your cycles against these standards before you submit. Use it, but do not stop there.

Layer two: the Manual Review Standards

If your extract is selected for manual review, a reviewer reads the written content of the cycles and must be able to answer yes to each of six questions: is every stage relevant to the cycle's topic; does it describe how the learning need was identified; does it describe the plan (where there is a planning stage); the actions taken; what was learned; and the impact on practice, which may include future actions. Descriptions should be in your own words, and duplicated cycles are disregarded.

The IIOP is explicit that meeting the System-Based Standards does not guarantee you will meet the Manual Review Standards, and that uploading only a certificate of completion or a course agenda will not meet them, because it shows no reflection of your own. Writing the stages well is a skill in itself; our annotated IIOP CPD cycle example shows weak and strong versions of each stage, and the guide to PSI Core Competency Framework self-assessment covers the self-assessment cycle the standards now require.

Confidentiality: the rule that can sink a good extract

Extracts must not contain patient-identifiable information, such as patient names, DPS numbers, copies of prescriptions, receipts, vaccination records or photographs. Where a breach is found, the extract is not reviewed. The IIOP also asks you to avoid details that identify you, your pharmacy, colleagues or students on placement, and warns that cycles with sensitive information may result in Standard Not Met.

How the ePortfolio extract is reviewed, and who gets a manual review

Review happens in two stages. The system check applies to everyone. Manual review takes place only after the second submission window, and extracts from either window can be selected. The policy names five groups in the manual sample:

• a random quality-assurance sample;
• a risk-based sample chosen by the PSI under its own criteria and sent to the IIOP before the first window opens;
• pharmacists with a "Standard Not Met (Year 1)" outcome from the previous review;
• pharmacists who fail the System-Based Standards in the second window;
• pharmacists who resubmitted in the second window after feedback.

Manual review is capped at a maximum of 5% of the review cohort each year, up to 450 extracts, and an external examiner checks a sample of manual reviews for consistency of process, not as a second judgement of quality.

Three facts tend to reassure pharmacists who are anxious about being reviewed. Reviewers see a review number, not your name. Your extract is not shared with the PSI as part of the review. And reviewers do not assess your competence, check the accuracy of clinical information or judge whether an action was appropriate; they check whether your record shows a systematic approach to CPD. The exception is where an extract raises patient safety or fitness to practise concerns, in which case the IIOP must take the necessary steps and will try to inform you if it refers the matter to the PSI.

Be aware, too, that if a manual review finds your extract does not meet the Manual Review Standards, you cannot revise or resubmit it, whichever window you used. That is why it pays to check your written content against the six manual questions before you press submit.

ePortfolio Review outcomes: Standard Met, Not Met and Non-Engagement

Once quality assurance is complete, each included pharmacist receives one of four outcomes. If you submit, you also receive a Certificate of Engagement after the relevant window closes. The Certificate of Compliance comes only at the end of the process, which can take several months.

If a Year 1 result is followed by non-engagement in Year 2, both outcomes are cited when the IIOP refers you to the PSI. Where non-engagement happens without extenuating circumstances, the policy states that the PSI Council will propose refusing your next application for continued registration.

Put simply, the system is designed so that a pharmacist who engages but falls short gets a year and support to put it right. The serious consequences are reserved for repeated failure and for not taking part at all.

How to apply for a PSI ePortfolio Review exemption

What used to be called "extenuating circumstances" is now handled under the PSI's ePortfolio Review Exemption Policy, approved by the PSI Council on 26 March 2026. The IIOP does not grant exemptions; you apply directly to the PSI. The policy is clear that exemptions are for exceptional situations, defined as circumstances beyond your control that affect your ability to submit an extract or meet CPD requirements.

How to apply

1. Read the Exemption Policy and ask your medical practitioner and/or employer to complete the Exemption Application – Supporting Documentation Form. Any registered medical practitioner can sign it, including outside Ireland, and the medical certification is valid for three months.
2. Log in to the PSI Registration Portal, choose "CPD Exemption Application", then "Request ePortfolio Review Exemption", complete the form and upload your documents.
3. Watch for an acknowledgement email from [email protected]. The PSI aims to decide complete applications within 25 working days, and your status appears in the portal.

If the form cannot be used, the policy accepts an original medical certificate or letter confirming the duration and general nature of the illness, or an employer letter confirming the leave period. Documents must come from an independent professional or employer, not a relative or close friend, and documents not in English or Irish need a certified translation. Applications without supporting documentation are not considered.

Can the PSI refuse continued registration over CPD?

The amended CPD Rules require the Institute to refer to the Registrar any non-compliance by a pharmacist that its remediation policy has not resolved. Separately, the amended Registration Rules make "confirmation of their engagement with the Institute of Pharmacy in relation to their obligations under the CPD Rules" one of the particulars of a continued registration application. The PSI FAQs add that from 2027 you must also indicate in that application that you comply with and participate in annual ePortfolio Review.

Continued registration applications open 60 days before your current certificate expires, and failing to apply by the expiry date starts the cancellation process. CPD engagement is now one of the things that application has to confirm. To see how pharmacist renewal sits alongside the rules for nurses, doctors, dentists, CORU registrants and practitioners, read our comparison of annual registration renewal in Ireland across six regulators.

The refusal procedure in Rule 12A

Where a continued registration application lacks those CPD particulars, new Rule 12A of the Registration Rules sets out a fixed procedure:

1. Written notice of a proposal to refuse

   Unless extenuating circumstances apply under a Council-approved policy, the Council informs you in writing that it proposes to refuse the application, with its reasons.

2. At least 28 days to respond

   The notice must state your right to make representations within a stated period of not less than 28 days from the date of the notice. You may send written representations within that period.

3. The Council decides

   The Council considers your representations, any extenuating circumstances, any CPD you have since undertaken, and other matters it considers appropriate, then decides whether to grant or refuse continued registration.

That third step matters: the rules expressly allow the Council to weigh CPD you complete after the notice. Under section 21 of the Pharmacy Act 2007, a refused applicant may appeal to the High Court within three months of receiving notification of the refusal, and the PSI's own explanation of the 2025 changes confirms that a refusal can be appealed this way.

What about Year 2 "Standard Not Met"?

The published documents say the IIOP must inform the PSI after two consecutive final Standard Not Met outcomes, and that the PSI manages follow-up. They do not set out a fixed consequence for a Year 2 result in the way they do for non-engagement, so the PSI decides next steps case by case. If you receive this outcome, read the feedback on your dashboard, consider an appeal under the IIOP CPD Review Appeals Policy if you believe the outcome is wrong, and respond promptly and openly to any PSI correspondence.

Plagiarism and falsification

The IIOP expects similar learning to produce some similar content, but reflections on impact on practice should differ between pharmacists. Evidence of intentional plagiarism, falsification or an extract obtained through a third party must be reported to the PSI Registrar as a statutory obligation. Never submit cycles written by someone else, and be cautious about templates that encourage copying. If a CPD concern has already reached the PSI, our guide to PSI remediation courses explains how structured remediation and reflection fit into that process.

Common ePortfolio Review mistakes to avoid in 2027

A useful self-test is to read each cycle as a stranger would. If someone who has never met you could not tell what prompted the learning, what you did, what you learned and what changed in your practice, a reviewer cannot either. Our course on writing reflection that shows insight covers models such as Gibbs, Rolfe and Johns if you find the reflective stages hard to write. If you plan to meet the framework standard through a Code of Conduct reflection, ethics and ethical standards for pharmacists works through the PSI Code's seven principles on dispensing errors, commercial pressure and confidentiality.

How to prepare for the 2027 ePortfolio Review in three months

With the exemption deadline in late October and invitations due in mid-January, there is enough time to build a strong extract calmly. Work through this list in order.

• Confirm you are included: on the Register before 1 January 2026 and not exempt.
• Check your email address on both your IIOP profile and the PSI Registration Portal, and add IIOP addresses to your safe senders.
• If you have a qualifying circumstance, apply for an exemption by 31 October 2026 with an in-date supporting form.
• Count the cycles you have created in 2026; you need at least four.
• Make sure at least one started at Self-Appraisal and one came from a Core Competency Framework self-assessment, a Code of Conduct reflection or another framework.
• Run the Ready Reckoner on your dashboard to test the variety standards (needs, resources, impact types, domains).
• Read every stage of every cycle against the six manual review questions and rewrite thin entries in your own words.
• Remove patient, colleague and workplace identifiers from text and attachments.
• Diary 18 January and 31 January 2027, and watch for February feedback in case you need to resubmit.
• Keep your Certificate of Engagement and, later, your Certificate of Compliance.

The IIOP's support resources page holds the Standards, sample cycles, a step-by-step guide to creating a cycle and recordings of its introductory webinar for 2026/27. Start there. If you also want structured learning that can sit inside a cycle, the course on professionalism and professional standards for pharmacists applies the PSI Code of Conduct's seven principles, which can support the Code of Conduct reflection the standards mention. Any course you take is only one learning resource; the reflection and impact you record around it are what the review looks at. If you struggle to turn a self-assessment into a plan, clinical supervision and professional development planning covers turning learning needs into a measurable development plan, and you can browse all our online CPD courses for Irish health professionals by regulator or topic.

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Rules and fees change, so confirm current requirements with your regulator or scheme.