DVLA medical

Liz65

Hi, my son has a medical condition and has to renew his driving licence every 2 years. He has been trying to get his licence back since February and received a letter from DVLA saying that they have had no reply from his surgeon about his ability to drive. We have tried to contact the DVLA because his surgeon said he cannot comment on his ability to drive and this should be down to his GP. We cannot get in touch with them despite emailing and him leaving his telephone number for a callback. They never call him back. Does anyone know if there is another way of contacting them before he loses his licence. Thank you

teaselMay

It's also not the GP's job to comment on anyone's ability to drive, that's the DVLA's job

sheslookinhot

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962203#Comment_81962203

How can it possibly be the job of someone behind a computer screen who has never seen the patient nor knows anything about him. Its most definitely the medical professional.

teaselMay

The medical professional employed by the DVLA

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81962383#Comment_81962383

ohreallƳ

The DVLA will decide partly based on the GP's report.

Can you physically visit the surgery?

Also look at S88 of the RTA 1988.

Okell

@Liz65 - "… We cannot get in touch with them despite emailing and him leaving his telephone number for a callback. They never call him back. Does anyone know if there is another way of contacting them before he loses his licence…"

It's not clear but I presume you're asking how to contact DVLA rather than his GP?

What does his GP say about your son's ability to drive?

Grumpy_chap

My wife has a medically restricted licence and has to have a medical declaration every three years. This is always provided by the GP who confirms what needs to be confirmed with the Consultant. The GP charges for the service of providing the information to DVLA. There is a standard form / questionnaire that the GP needs to submit.

Has your son been in contact with the GP Surgery?

Liz65

Thanks, we haven't contacted GP yet because we need to ask DVLA if he can get it from GP instead of his surgeon.

skuther

I am a GP.

We regularly get sent report requests from the DVLA with very specific medical questions to answer. I probably personally do two of three reports a week. They can take between 10-40mins depending on the complexity. The DVLA pay the GP practice for doing this as it is alot of time and work and has to be done outside normal NHS time. We would not expect patients to pay anything.

Often I can answer them if factual information (eg. when was the last time this person had a seizure, or what medication are they on, or are their liver tests getting better or worse) - but just as often it is something I could never comment on unless I was a driving instructor in the car with the patient testing them actually driving (eg. early dementia, are they safe to drive).

Sometimes the questions are quite complicated and really would have to be answered by the specialist.

I can't comment further about this knowing what kind of medical problem it is - but the reference document with the DVLA criteria that we as doctors use is this one: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessing-fitness-to-drive-a-guide-for-medical-professionals

I suggest you look up the condition in question - check the criteria, and then check if there is any specific medical evidence that the GP (or the specialist) could provide to prove if those criteria are met.

Liz65

Thank you, his condition is Charcot Marie Tooth, a muscle wasting condition. We will make an appointment with our GP and see if he can help.