How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

MEDICAL HELP PLZ!!!!!!!

Convicted Driver Insurance

ALEXF

Member
Hi,;)

I am new to this site and have found lots of info so thanks. However if anyone could help me with this problem i would really appreciate it

In 2008 i was caught drink driving once and then rather stupidly i was caught 4 weeks later and refused to give a sample. I was banned for three years as expected and had a significant amout of community service to complete afterwards. I regret the whole situation but life at the time was quite bad. severe depression etc. At the time although i did not consider myself an alcoholic i was drinking heavily. 50-60 units per week. This was discussed with my GP at the time and i did seek help. My ban ended nearly two years ago and since then things are much better. I am now healthy again. For years my intake has gone down to weekend drinking and my total consumption for a while has been 20 units per week. A month ago knowing this medical was close i have reduced this to maybe 3-4 units per week and feel much better for it!


The time has come to get my licence back and the next move in my career will require a licence for a company car etc. i am worried about the medical and want to ensure that i will pass so i aim not to drink full stop for 3-4 weeks prior to the medical. I sent of my application two days ago and i wondered how long it takes from sending the application to actually completing the medical. i know times will vary but as a guide what am i looking at?

Also i still take mediction for depression as prescribed by my gp years ago. Will they ask me about this etc? I have spoken to my GP and he says there is no reason at all for me not to drive and he will support me if asked to. will they ask me about alcohol abuse that occured 4 years ago etc? I want to get this sorted asap and i can imagine that if they consult my doctor this can make things take even longer even though he is willing to back me.

Any help would be great. Its beena long time and my career is on hold for a while until i get this sorted. Thanks guys
 
Alex, although I have never gone into my case on this forum, yours sounds very similar to certain aspects of mine which started back in the late 1990s. Since then I have had two applications refused, one in approx 2000 and another around 2006. In 2002 they gave me a 12 month licence, which I had to renew every 12 months and the renewal process usually takes about 9 months each time to process. Around 2006 I passed the alcohol aspect of the medical but after that they contacted my GP and the renewal application was refused because of antidepressants. This resulted in a long drawn out appeal in the magistrates courts which I won and was once again granted a short term licence. Since 2007 I have been getting short term 12 month licences. I have had at least 7 DVLA medicals for alcohol by the Franchise doctor and am on 1st name terms with him. He even phones me the day after the medical each 18 months and tells me the exact readings of the blood tests or he tells me a time to phone him. I have actually seen the Franchise doctor more times than I have seen my own GP over the past 10 years.

My advice to you is do every thing you can not to involve your own GP. If you pass the medical with ease then your doctor hopefully will not be contacted. The questions on the medical form have changed many times over the years. I believe they are now only interested in the past 3 years, so answer NO to anything over 3 years ago. Do not give them any cause to contact your GP. Obviously the most important part of the medical is the result of the blood test. In my opinion they take very little notice of how any of the questions have been answered unless you give them answers to cause alarm.

You sound very anxious to know when the medical is going to take place!!! I suspect you are still drinking like I have been on several of the applications and intend to stop for 3 or 4 weeks before the medical!!!! I would imagine you will receive a letter in a about 3 weeks time, telling you to make an appointment with the franchise doctor that covers your area. Now when you get THIS letter you will have some control over when you take the medical. I believe you have or did have 3 weeks to phone the doc to make an appointment, the actual medical does not have to be done in these 3 weeks. The actual medical will depend on how busy the franchise doctor is in your area and when they have an appointment that suits you and them. They may have an appointment that week but you may have a holiday booked that week and your holiday might be 3 weeks long, so you will have some control over when you take the medical. If you want the medical quick then phone them the day after you get the letter and take the 1st appointment available. Its possible you will have taken your medical in just over 3 weeks from now or even sooner.

You do not want to end up like me and be still renewing licences every 12 months, 15 years down the line. There is conflicting advice on this forum regarding how long LFT's take to return to normal. If you have only been drinking 3 or 4 units per week for several months then you have nothing to worry about. I have read on here that all franchise doctors are now now doing CDT testing, I am not sure if this is true or not. It certainly wasn't when I had my last medical in december 2011. I have not had a CDT test yet but I believe it is more accurate than GGT and hopefully work in both mine and your favours if your consumption is what you say.

Please keep the thread informed on how things progress and good luck. Oh I forgot to ask the name of your current medication and the dosage?
 
No problem. I take mirtazepine at 30mg per day. Do they ask about any medications etc? Maybe I am naive but I have researched this at length and although it may be wrong I am tempted to just lie to avoid the inevitable aftermath. I want to avoid the medical doctor feeling the need to consult my gp. But I understand I may have no option. In terms of alcohol consumption I genuinely only drink two or three drinks per weekend and have done for a few weeks. No alcohol through the week. Prior to this I drank around 20 units. i am twenty six and although abstaining from now until the medical is no big deal I feel as if this medical is infringing on my lifestyle. Going to the pub for drinks with friends after work and so on which I enjoy. I can confirm that the dvla have done away with the liver function test and now use another indicator called carbohydrate deficient transferrin. I have spoken to a friend of mine who works in this field and he has assured me that this test is a more reliable measure as results are not skewed by other factors ie pain killers or anti depressants. Plus the new test looks more at the last two to four weeks. I have been advised that drinking within the standard guidelines should be fine but I don't want to take the risk given the scandalous fees involved. Any help? Thanks for the reply
 
Ps I approached my gp about my depression and drinking over three years ago. My depression was serious though unfortunately. I have never been back since about depression or alcohol. I will complete the medical in three weeks or maybe four to be safe if this is possible. I will be posting on a regular basis about progress as I have found the experiences of others invaluable.
 
The franchise doctor will not contact your GP about anything but he will ask you about medication prescribed or un prescribed even down to nicotine use or he did on my last medical. It will be DVLA who contact your GP if you or your results or answers give them concern to! DVLA do not want to contact your GP because it costs them £40 plus vat each time. Plus if they only give you a short term licence they will have to pay for your medical next time. These are all reasons why the fee for reapplying for your licence is so much higher after a drink drive conviction. You wont ever have to pay again unless your application is refused.

I have no idea how strong and what the side effects of 30mg of mirtazepine per day is & I believe I wld be breaking the rules of this site plus possibly be putting your life and others at risk if I suggested that you lie. But would you be ill or suffer withdraw if you stopped your medication before the medical and truthfully answered NO to other prescribed medicine? Just a thought. :)

How do you know 100% that DVLA have now completed the trials on CDT testing and have now done away with the LFT's right across the country? I read the recent minutes of the last meeting and did not see it mentioned. Perhaps I missed something.
 
I have pestered the dvla and I have been told on three seperate occasions by three different advisors that it will definitely be a cdt test as opposed to liver function. My first call to enquire was made approx 2 weeks ago and I was told then that this has been a recent development. My partners friend works for dvla and she has confirmed this too. So cdt it is from now on I guess. And I can read between the lines. I will be fine I am sure. Does this medical make you feel like some sort of hapless ex con. It's pissed me of truth be told. Being convicted of driving surely does not entitle the dvla to breach my human rights. I deserved the ban and I served it. Surely justice has been done
 
Thanx for confirming that it seems like CDT testing across the country from now on.

To be honest I use to worry and get so anxious and annoyed with DVLA especially when they inform me that my case has been passed on to supervisors and there is a 3 month backlog, my alcohol consumption use to increase. Every time I speak to them I feel like a stiff drink afterwards. My doctor mentioned cannabis use once on the questionnaire but he never wrote a date. The date was actually 1983, 30 years ago!!! But DVLA decided to make a big thing over this and delayed the application four months while they wrote back to him again and asked the date. Now exactly the same thing is happening again, it really does piss me off and make me want a drink.
 
Very true. I once heard a saying that the only thing that saves us from these government bodies is their ineffeciency lol. It's a shame really and I really hope I don't end up being a victim of this nonsense. I have never taken any illegal drugs so I don't anticipate any issues there. They are so obstructive on the phone. I called today to ask about time frames for the medical. The first guy would not help and then I rang back because I was pissed of with his attitude and a lovely lady answered and was more than happy to say it would be a month fingers crossed. I have been told that cdt is a good thing for us crims on here. As long as you act with restraint for two to four weeks there should be no issues. This cdt test is something that is used more in the US. It's been used there by alcohol rehab clinics and courts etc for some time. It's a more reliable indicator though and not a 100 yes or no answer as some rare abnormalities can produce abnormal results. So well done dvla on this.
 
Bristol. Sorry to be a pain but one more thing if poss.


I have looked on the forum at the list of questions asked on the medical and i have now seen something thats making me worry.....even more :(

I have read that they will ask me about detox and hospital treatment relating to my alcohol usage.

My depression required hospital treatment during which i was detoxed. They didnt say that i was alcohol dependent but for obvious reasons whilst i was an inpatient i was not allowed to drink.

This happened over 3 years ago. possibly four. I am worried because if i have to declare this i could end up waiting months for a decision. my gp has said he will back me because he thinks i am fine to drive but i need this license asap as my new job requires me to have a company car etc.

i am so tempted to just aswer no as i am sure my bloods will be fine but i dont WANT to have to lie but i feel as if i have no option really. I would like to avoid any contact at all with my GP to limit the amount of time this will already take. I almost regret even trying to get my license back now.
 
ALEXF said:
Bristol. Sorry to be a pain but one more thing if poss.


I have looked on the forum at the list of questions asked on the medical and i have now seen something thats making me worry.....even more :(

I have read that they will ask me about detox and hospital treatment relating to my alcohol usage.

My depression required hospital treatment during which i was detoxed. They didnt say that i was alcohol dependent but for obvious reasons whilst i was an inpatient i was not allowed to drink.

This happened over 3 years ago. possibly four. I am worried because if i have to declare this i could end up waiting months for a decision. my gp has said he will back me because he thinks i am fine to drive but i need this license asap as my new job requires me to have a company car etc.

i am so tempted to just aswer no as i am sure my bloods will be fine but i dont WANT to have to lie but i feel as if i have no option really. I would like to avoid any contact at all with my GP to limit the amount of time this will already take. I almost regret even trying to get my license back now.
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Alex...the more I read your posts the more I believe you do actually have a serious alcohol problem.
Do you honestly think you should be driving?
Let me ask you this question...if your next door neighbour was in exactly the same position as you, and you had young children playing outside every day would you think it was safe for your neighbour to be allowed to drive or would you be worried about the safety of your children?
Is your eagerness for this new job clouding your judgment on your real condition?
 
I am tempted not to justify that with a response. I joined this forum initially for information and to share my experiences in the hope they might help others. That response offers no help what so ever and i certainly dont need any judgement from you or any other person i dont know.

My conviction was just short of five years ago and whilst i was going through a very rough patch in my life. I was not very well at the time and since then i have worked hard to recover and now lead a "normal" happy life. Things have never never been so good. I do not and have not drank excessively for 2-3 years.

My medication does not effect my driving as my doctor has confirmed this to me. So in my opinion i am fine to drive and dont present a danger to anyone. Obviously like everyone else on here i am eager to get this whole saga over and done with as soon as possible. I have been open and honest on here and shared my experiences so i would like to know why you asked me that question?

Also i presume your here because you got convicted of drink driving or some other alcohol realted motor offence. If so i dont see how we are that different really if we are talking about risk. After all we are all High Risk Offenders and i am sure everyone here has there own story. Maybe i have been to honest though ;)
 
ALEXF said:
I am tempted not to justify that with a response. I joined this forum initially for information and to share my experiences in the hope they might help others. That response offers no help what so ever and i certainly dont need any judgement from you or any other person i dont know.

My conviction was just short of five years ago and whilst i was going through a very rough patch in my life. I was not very well at the time and since then i have worked hard to recover and now lead a "normal" happy life. Things have never never been so good. I do not and have not drank excessively for 2-3 years.

My medication does not effect my driving as my doctor has confirmed this to me. So in my opinion i am fine to drive and dont present a danger to anyone. Obviously like everyone else on here i am eager to get this whole saga over and done with as soon as possible. I have been open and honest on here and shared my experiences so i would like to know why you asked me that question?

Also i presume your here because you got convicted of drink driving or some other alcohol realted motor offence. If so i dont see how we are that different really if we are talking about risk. After all we are all High Risk Offenders and i am sure everyone here has there own story. Maybe i have been to honest though ;)
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Alex, you are right about why I am here. It is for exactly the same reason as you. If I wasn't a drink driver I wouldn't be here for a second. It feels terrible but that's the way it is and we all have to deal with it.

Believe me, I am not judging you as a person in any way. I do not know the path you have taken in your life and I have not got the slightest clue about any obstacles you have had to deal with along the way. I am simply pointing out that you seem so worried about what this test is going to uncover that it makes me think you are trying to disguise something. My thought is that if you have nothing to hide then why are you becoming so anxious about it to the point where you don't seem able to relax a bit. The test will be what it is...an assessment of your suitability to drive.

I think that based on what you have written and the way you have written it my view is a totally understandable one.
 
It is a fair comment to say i am worried and anxious about this medical and here are the reasons:

*the job that requires me to drive will take me from 28k a year to close to 37k. Its my deam job and i have worked so hard to put myself in this position. no license means no promotion

*my son is 2 months old and my partner works full time. she drives and is on maternity leave the the moment. so i need to drive in order to pick my son up from nursery etc when the time comes although this isnt for a while yet.

So theres a lot on the line. Like everyone else i want my license back and i feel like its the last peice of the puzzle if that makes sense. I am anxious to get the info needed so i can be as prepared as possible. I do not want my problems from years ago to affect me now in other words. Again like many others here.
 
ALEXF said:
It is a fair comment to say i am worried and anxious about this medical and here are the reasons:

*the job that requires me to drive will take me from 28k a year to close to 37k. Its my deam job and i have worked so hard to put myself in this position. no license means no promotion

*my son is 2 months old and my partner works full time. she drives and is on maternity leave the the moment. so i need to drive in order to pick my son up from nursery etc when the time comes although this isnt for a while yet.

So theres a lot on the line. Like everyone else i want my license back and i feel like its the last peice of the puzzle if that makes sense. I am anxious to get the info needed so i can be as prepared as possible. I do not want my problems from years ago to affect me now in other words. Again like many others here.
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Good luck, I hope it all works out well for you.
 
ALEXF said:
Bristol. Sorry to be a pain but one more thing if poss.


I have looked on the forum at the list of questions asked on the medical and i have now seen something thats making me worry.....even more :(

I have read that they will ask me about detox and hospital treatment relating to my alcohol usage.

My depression required hospital treatment during which i was detoxed. They didnt say that i was alcohol dependent but for obvious reasons whilst i was an inpatient i was not allowed to drink.

This happened over 3 years ago. possibly four. I am worried because if i have to declare this i could end up waiting months for a decision. my gp has said he will back me because he thinks i am fine to drive but i need this license asap as my new job requires me to have a company car etc.

i am so tempted to just aswer no as i am sure my bloods will be fine but i dont WANT to have to lie but i feel as if i have no option really. I would like to avoid any contact at all with my GP to limit the amount of time this will already take. I almost regret even trying to get my license back now.
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Alex, firstly lots of people who read this thread or are members of this site will of had an alcohol detox in the past, some several times. Some will of caused fatalities through drinking and driving and will be applying for there licence back. The fact you accepted you had a problem with alcohol in the past and seek'd help at such a young age is a credit to you and well done for taking the 1st step. I am sure you already know that alcohol can be a large cause of depression, as it is a depressant! Alcohol gets rid of unwanted feelings short term, while you are pissed. The feelings come back when the alcohol leaves.

Anyway this is not an alcoholics anonymous forum, so my above paragraph is not relevant to this topic. Yes the questionnaire will ask if you have ever had an alcohol detox and have you ever been an impatient or outpatient in the past, hopefully in the past 3 years but I am uncertain if the past 3 years is worded. I do know that it wont be worded in that way if they decide to question your GP & I also know 99% that your GP will tell them anything relevant from the day you were born. My advice is answer "NO" because as far as your are aware all the questions on the questionnaire relate to the past 3 years. Answering yes, like I do, "only because they already know" may possibly alarm a clerk and set the bells ringing for GP contact. Then its likely to be a long drawn out process.

I am certain if what you say in this thread is true and you want your medical over and done with quickly with the reissue of your licence till your 70, you will have no problems.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks. Your helps been brilliant. I have decided to declare the anti depressant. I have looked online and my medication is not one of the types that the dvla would be concerned about. It seems to me as if they are interested in a group of meds called tricyclic anti depressants and mirtazepine is not one of those. In terms of my treatment and hospital stay I intend to say nothing. Unless I absolutely have to. That's something I need to find out about. It's a dilemma really. I am not concerned at all about the blood test now I know what's involved because I am confident I would pass today. That combined with 2-4 weeks of abstinence will be fine. Lets see how things pan out. I will be keeping this thread updated on my progress and provide as much info as poss. Thanks again.
 
Well done mate honesty is normally the best way forward. Hope everything works out fine for you. I will post the next stages of my current renewal application that has been going on over 7 months in this thread too. I still don't know if I will be sent for another medical or not yet. DVLA probably do not want to pay the franchise doctor and are trying to cut back on costs. They have had to pay my GP's surgery £80 so far this time. What is the cost these days on the drink drive medical? I know its well over £100, I'm sure it wont come down in price even if CDT testing is cheaper than the old LFT's. Nothing ever does.
 
I have paid £90 to make an application. And although I can't give you an exact fee I am pretty sure the cdt test is £96. I personally think the fee is quite high and that there must be a margin involved somewhere for someone. And that's wrong. I have found out as well that a reading up to 2.6 percent is a pass or "green light" as the dvla put it. Anything above is looked into more or a failure. Does cdt not give you some hope Bristol? If it takes away the factor of medication effecting the results etc? I have also found out that an elevated cdt result is achieved after two to three weeks of drinking 4 or more drinks per day. It can in some people return to normal with 4 or five days of abstinence or moderated drinking. I am no expert but it seems as if a reading of above 2.6 indicates recent heavy drinking barring any rare liver disorders. Plus cdt is not sensitive for binges. It's more sensitive to chronic misuse if that makes sense
 
Hi m8, i got bored today and gave dvla a buzz to pass some time. I said my renewal was now in its 8th month. I pretended I never knew the new law effecting driving under section 88 did not effect me. I was in the mood for a row :D. The woman assured me the new law would not affect me but she had no idea when it was coming out, i told her it was already out. I then told her that im getting pissed off and if my renewal application goes over 12 months I have to send in a new application and start all over again. She corrected me here and said I will have to reapply but it wont all start again from the beginning. She seemed to think I wont be going for a medical this time "time will tell". I said, well you have wrote to my doc twice since October and he cant tell you nothing more than you already know because I have not seen him for years. She replied well we don't know that do we? I said well i've told you enough times.

Anyway the call ended with her telling me that my renewal application is now only 2 or 3 weeks away from being looked at so I should hear soon! lol. Eight months without a medical, I have stopped getting anxious and just find it funny now.
 
bristol.red said:
She seemed to think I wont be going for a medical this time "time will tell". I said, well you have wrote to my doc twice since October and he cant tell you nothing more than you already know because I have not seen him for years. She replied well we don't know that do we? I said well i've told you enough times.
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Guess what I got today!!!! Yes a letter from DVLA telling me i need a medical. This is after 8 months after they received my renewal application and 5 months after my last short term licence expired. Also two of the puppets at DVLA had categorically told me I wont be needing a medical this time. The time scales have changed somewhat to the last time I received one of these letters some 20 months ago. I have attempted to upload the 2 pages of the current letter received today for your info and others but I cant seem to do it on these forums:eek:.

If you PM me I will attempt to do it on a PM. Basically you now have to wait 7 working days before you even phone the franchise doctor for an appointment. Plus you now have to attend the examination within 6 weeks of the date on this letter. Actually I think it was 6 weeks on my last examination too but this was impossible because the franchise doctor for my area was on long term sick for 3 months and the next closest franchise doctor was in Frome which is a small town 15 miles away from Bristol and his surgery was overwhelmed with medicals from Bristol as well as his own area, so they had a massive waiting list and it was impossible to get examined in 6 weeks on that occasion. Oh and in these circumstances DVLA were able to change the law and not revoke the application.
 
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