FAQ: How often do GPs need to do adult safeguarding training?
To remain in line with national standards, GPs are required to maintain Level 3 Adult Safeguarding competency. The current framework consists of two main parts:
- Full Certification: A formal Level 3 certificate must be renewed every three years.
- Annual Evidence: In the years between certifications, you must provide evidence of an annual knowledge update for your appraisal.
The ‘Life Course’ approach
Since October 2024, the RCGP has moved away from separate “hours-based” silos for adults and children. We now use a Unified Life Course approach that focuses on the whole household and prioritises quality of reflection.
Read our full Safeguarding standards for GPs resource here – See tips for GP locums and learn how to meet both adult and child requirements with a single reflective log.
"We use quite a few GP locums at our practices and the GPs we have used through LocumDeck are much easier to manage, given the calendar view and how they process payments."
Georgia O’Hagan, operations manager, Forest Health Care, Gloucestershire