In short
A face-to-face professional boundaries CPD course is a live, facilitated day by Zoom that helps you understand how a boundary with a patient or a colleague was crossed, what consent and chaperone duties ask of you, and how to show that it will not happen again. Our Probity & Ethics face-to-face professional boundaries course, the CPD course Professional Boundaries Course, runs from 9.30am to about 2.30–3.00pm UK time and gives 5 CPD hours for £499, with a certificate on completion. It is for a complaint, an employer investigation or a regulator investigation, and for CPD with no concern raised.
A boundaries allegation?
A relationship, messages, a gift or an examination has been questioned by a patient, a colleague, your employer or your regulator.
CPD on boundaries?
You want a live day on boundaries, consent and chaperones for your appraisal or revalidation.
Boundaries allegations a live day can help with
- a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague: a friendship or relationship, personal messages, or contact through social media;
- dual relationships, such as treating a friend, a relative or someone you work with;
- gifts, loans or favours given or accepted;
- an examination where consent was unclear or no chaperone was offered or recorded;
- personal disclosure, touch or language that someone found inappropriate.
An allegation of sexual misconduct is in a different category: take legal advice first, and see our guide to sexual boundaries and sexual misconduct.
Why a live format suits a boundaries concern
Boundary problems build up gradually. A kind gesture becomes a personal number, then a message late in the evening, and each step feels small at the time. Seeing where the line was, and when you could have noticed it, is easier in a conversation than in a reading exercise. Our guide on boundary crossing and boundary violation explains the difference a panel draws.
In a live group you hear how others handled a patient who offered a gift or a colleague who wanted more than a working relationship, and you can talk through what you would say next time. The facilitator, Dr Shehzad Iqbal, then helps you set out your own account so it deals with the trust and power in the relationship, not only the facts.
Consent and chaperones: what the GMC guidance says
A boundaries complaint can begin with an examination. The GMC’s guidance on intimate examinations and chaperones asks doctors to “explain why an examination is necessary and give the patient an opportunity to ask questions” (paragraph 8), to obtain consent or other valid authority first (paragraph 9), and “wherever possible, offer the patient the option of having a chaperone” (paragraph 16). If a chaperone is present, the doctor should record that and note their identity and role; if the patient declines, the doctor should “record that the offer was made and declined” (paragraph 23).
Other regulators publish their own guidance. The live day covers consent and chaperones for every profession, and the online Privacy, Consent and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice course (£79, 2 CPD hours) goes into more detail.
When to take it in the process
Book it as soon as the concern is raised if you can. A course completed before your first written response lets you describe what you have learned. If your response has already gone in, a course before the case examiner or investigating committee decision, or before a hearing, still counts, provided you leave time to write a reflection and show that your practice has changed: new ways of keeping contact professional, chaperone records, or advice sought from colleagues.
Speak to your defence organisation, union or solicitor about what to send and when.
Live or online boundaries course
The online Professional Boundaries for Clinicians course is self-paced, 2 CPD hours, £79 (£50 with Bulk Buy 10), and you can start it today. The live day gives 5 CPD hours and time with a facilitator on your own case. Our professional boundaries course guide compares the online options by profession. For a serious allegation, or where you are unsure how to describe what happened, the live day is the stronger choice; some people do both.
What to bring, privacy and the one-to-one option
Bring the allegation as it was put to you, a timeline, any draft reflection, and notes of what you have changed. Join from a private room where you cannot be overheard.
Boundaries matters can be personal. How much you say in the group is up to you, and the one-to-one version, with the facilitator alone, costs £250 on top of the course price.
Using the course for CPD
The course gives 5 CPD hours and is CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197); see its listing on The CPD Certification Service website. Log the certificate with a reflection in your appraisal or revalidation record.
Please note
This guide is general information, not legal advice. No course decides the outcome of a case. Speak to your defence organisation, indemnity provider or union before you send anything to your regulator.
The live course for a boundaries allegation, and for CPD
Live by Zoom, for every UK healthcare professional
Professional Boundaries Course (Face-to-Face, by Zoom)
A facilitated day on boundaries with a patient or a colleague, dual relationships, consent and chaperones, with a personalised action plan. Probity & Ethics is CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197).
- £499
- 5 CPD hours
- Live by Zoom
- Certificate on completion
Courses that sit beside it
The online courses are £79 each (£50 with Bulk Buy 10); ten online courses with a live course come to £949 (£500 plus £449). Not sure which fits? Book a free 15-minute call.
This guide is part of our Professional Boundaries hub, which brings together every Probity & Ethics guide and course on the subject.
The CPD courses linked from this guide, Privacy, Consent and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice and Professional Boundaries for Clinicians, are by Probity & Ethics, written by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197) and offered since 2020.
Questions and answers
Does a face-to-face boundaries course cover a concern about a colleague?
Yes. It covers a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague, including relationships at work, messages and dual relationships.
Does the course cover chaperones and intimate examinations?
Yes. Consent and chaperones are part of the day, including how to offer a chaperone and record the offer.
Is a boundaries course enough for a sexual misconduct allegation?
Not on its own, and no course decides the outcome of a case. Take legal advice first; a course can sit alongside your reflection and evidence of changed practice.
When should I take a boundaries course if my regulator is investigating?
Before your written response if you can. If that has gone in, before the next decision or hearing, leaving time to write a reflection and show change.
Can I take the professional boundaries course one-to-one?
Yes. The one-to-one version, with the facilitator alone, costs £250 on top of the course price.
Sources
This guide is based on the following pages, read on 8 November 2026.
