How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

Strange Medical Procedure Today!

Convicted Driver Insurance

Stopstartingdonald

Member
I had my medical today and I wasn't expecting this due to everything id read on here!

Went in with a nurse and he took my height, weight, blood pressure, my doctors details, bloods, then i signed a consent and declaration form (Inform doctor of outcome, release medical info..)

But then he asked me a series of multi choice questions which he filled in but giving me the options. Questions such as how many drinks do you drink when you drink (a) 1-2 (b) 2-3.... and there was a scoring system depending on what I answered. I scored 3. When I asked what the questionaire was (as I was aware of the standard medical question sheet currently in use which is freely available on the internet) he said this was just a survey and nothing to worry about.

I then went into a room with a doctor who then checked my eyesight (wall chart) checked my liver and listened to my heart and lungs (shirt off!!) and then he went through the medical question sheet that I was expecting.

Has anyone else had this double questionnaire? Seemed like a cross examination to me but it may all be innocent. It did seem that all the info the nurse asked me was going in the mailing packet with the blood test (which he said goes to Kings College London) so the only reason I can suspect this multi choice questionnaire was conducted is because maybe the blood analysis department there are running a separate survey!!

Thoughts and experiences please.
 
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Stopstartingdonald said:
I had my medical today and I wasn't expecting this due to everything id read on here!

Went in with a nurse and he took my height, weight, blood pressure, my doctors details, bloods, then i signed a consent and declaration form (Inform doctor of outcome, release medical info..)

But then he asked me a series of multi choice questions which he filled in but giving me the options. Questions such as how many drinks do you drink when you drink (a) 1-2 (b) 2-3.... and there was a scoring system depending on what I answered. I scored 3. When I asked what the questionaire was (as I was aware of the standard medical question sheet currently in use which is freely available on the internet) he said this was just a survey and nothing to worry about.

I then went into a room with a doctor who then checked my eyesight (wall chart) checked my liver and listened to my heart and lungs (shirt off!!) and then he went through the medical question sheet that I was expecting.

Has anyone else had this double questionnaire? Seemed like a cross examination to me but it may all be innocent. It did seem that all the info the nurse asked me was going in the mailing packet with the blood test (which he said goes to Kings College London) so the only reason I can suspect this multi choice questionnaire was conducted is because maybe the blood analysis department there are running a separate survey!!

Thoughts and experiences please.
Click to expand...

As far as I know everyone does this. It's called an 'Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test' conveniently producing the acronym 'AUDIT'. There are similar tests for all manner of conditions, especially those that have less definitive symptoms. The higher you score on this particular one indicates a higher probability of misuse or dependence on alcohol, poor decision making and destructive behaviours.

I scored a 6, which I thought, examing my answers, was very acceptable, so you answered very well with a 3!
(It's printed and produced by DVLA so not a survey by the lab by the way)
Don't panic, all routine as far as I recall!
 
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But some of the questions seem to cross examine!

The one question I'm concerned about is on the multi choice i answered 3-4 for the amount of drinks i have in one session, however with the doc I just said a couple of pints. Could this be seen as a discrepancy?

All seems a bit strange
 
Stopstartingdonald said:
But some of the questions seem to cross examine!

The one question I'm concerned about is on the multi choice i answered 3-4 for the amount of drinks i have in one session, however with the doc I just said a couple of pints. Could this be seen as a discrepancy?

All seems a bit strange
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It could be argued that that's 3-4 standard UNITS, which in reality is about 2 pints. A pint of draught Carlsberg, probably the most insipid beer available on tap, contains 2.15 units. A lot of people, especially us convicted drink drivers who have been on our courses, think of booze in terms of units.
I'm also not entirely sure that they examine the actual answers but pay more attention to the 'score' at the end. Unless you scored really high of course, then they might want to see what answers you gave to which questions, if you see what I mean..
 
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shouldaknownbetter said:
It could be argued that that's 3-4 standard UNITS, which in reality is about 2 pints. A pint of draught Carlsberg, probably the most insipid beer available on tap, contains 2.15 units. A lot of people, especially us convicted drink drivers who have been on our courses, think of booze in terms of units.
I'm also not entirely sure that they examine the actual answers but pay more attention to the 'score' at the end. Unless you scored really high of course, then they might want to see what answers you gave to which questions, if you see what I mean..
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If you look at the separate new thread on here it seems that the lad who also had a medical today didn't get the multi choice!! No consistency!!

Do you think they get to know the details of your offence and base the levels of testing on it?
 
Stopstartingdonald said:
If you look at the separate new thread on here it seems that the lad who also had a medical today didn't get the multi choice!! No consistency!!

Do you think they get to know the details of your offence and base the levels of testing on it?
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He did say he had been asked if he had ever missed work because of alcohol or had any medical problems, which both related to the AUDIT questionnaire. I've also discussed the AUDIT questionnaire with another poster here, so I think it's perfectly routine. His doctor did his, my doctor did mine, the only difference I can see is that the nurse did yours. There are bound to be slight differences in the way one surgery conducts their medicals to another surgery. In my case, someone else came in to take my blood sample and I didn't have an eye test. Others have an eye test and the same doctor takes their blood... I don't think the doctor knows the details of your offence but would not be able to alter the examination based on that anyway. The core elements of the medical, questionnaire and physical examination, are set by DVLA.
 
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Stopstartingdonald said:
Yeah, I think you're right. I think what happened with me was the nurse did the "donkey" work, as so to speak and the doctor just did the stuff he's probably required to do.

This was exactly the questionnaire (you're right):

http://patient.info/doctor/alcohol-use-disorders-identification-test-audit

I scored 3 so they have to ask you all the questions if you read the guidelines. Thats about 95% of the population too i bet!!!
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These sort of 'scoring tests' are dependent on answering all the questions. For example, I scored 6 on questions 1,2 & 3 combined. Scored 0 on all the others. But if I'd answered weekly on questions 4,5&7 I'd have accumulated another 9 points, presumably indicating misuse. So you can't get a whole/complete picture if you don't answer all the questions (to be fair, I think the guy on the other new thread just gave an example of the questions he'd been asked)

I'd say 95% is about right but not all of them have driven drunk, or at least been caught doing it! It does rather hold a mirror up for you examine your behaviour and I think that a lot of people who haven't been through this experience would be amazed at how their own drinking habits would be seen as alcohol misuse/dependence by a lot of doctors and certainly the DVLA!! ?????
 
I see from your post in the DVLA medical sticky that you got your results and questionnaire plus doctors report. Please without being personal can you explain what was in that pack they sent you?
 
Stopstartingdonald said:
I see from your post in the DVLA medical sticky that you got your results and questionnaire plus doctors report. Please without being personal can you explain what was in that pack they sent you?
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Of course. Everything is a photocopy, as you'd imagine.
A single sheet with the lab result on it. It's actually on the same sheet that you signed to confirm your consent to the test. Has the doctor's address, as the collector. Your name, address, dob .Date of collection, date and time of receipt at the lab. Date and time that the report was printed and on a small line in tiny printing that you might miss, your Carbohydrate Def. Transferrin expressed as a percentage. Interestingly it only took 4 hours from receipt at the lab for the report to be printed, so a very quick test to perform.
A copy of the AUDIT as completed by the doc or nurse.
Your consent form.
The questionnaire that you filled in yourself with your GP's address etc.
The questionnaire/report that the doc filled in by asking you questions and by their examination/observations of you. Does the applicant smell of alcohol? Seem intoxicated? Signs of spider naevi (drinker's flush/nose)? Tremors? Jaundice? And the questions about cannabis, methadone, treatment programs etc.

You can request your results by scanning your signature onto an email. Or send a request letter by slow mail, as I did, addressed to the dvla medical team. Took about 10 days/2 weeks but would obviously be quicker if you emailed them.
 
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