D4 medical for HGV

longwalks1

Im due to renew my driving licence and need a D$ medical carrying out.  Getting an appointment at my usual GP is nigh on impossible, are the 'D4 medical specialist' centres, usually set up in a hotel like Premier Inn or Novotel, worth using?  £55 fee seems cheap and its only a 15 minute appointment, are they regulated/valid to approve my medical fitness to drive an HGV?

Jaybee_16

I use one of these centres annually, based in a hotel. They are basic! Where I go, there's an eye chart and that's about it! I take regular blood pressure and blood glucose readings so take a print out of the results and the doctor uses my data to complete the D4 form. They are incredibly busy and expect the appointment to be around 10-15 minutes. 

I started using them because my GP wanted over £200 for basically the same process.

longwalks1

Thanks Jaybee - did you take blood pressure readings and glucose readings due to a health issue of yours?  Or because its needed for everyone?
Thank again!

Flugelhorn

I used to do HGV medicals as a GP (retired 4 years ago so a bit out of date) - the BP is checked at the time but some people take a series of readings to submit in case they show high ones at the appointment - if someone was unexpectedly high at the medical we used to put a 24hr BP on and give them the results of that to submit with the form. 

re sugars - presume that is T2 diabetes - I didn't actually have any diabetic HGV driver patients so can't comment

Eye tests - I though they had changed it so the eye bit had to be completed by an optometrist (used to advise them to go if they were borderline anyway) - though this may have changed again.

Much of the form is based on history so they are relying on what people say to them - unlike GPpractice where they have access to the records 

I knew of several places setting up testing and it was getting quite competitive - so long as the doc signing the form is GMC registered with a licence to practice then they are taking responsibility for what is written and the DVSA will accept it