How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

All HRO's please read this - Dont get caught out

Convicted Driver Insurance
seeking advice -No
but it getting treatment, you should declare it going by the law - it even asks about detox and rehab

you also sign the form where it says I declare that I have checked the details I have given on the enclosed questionnaire and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief they are correct. “I understand that it is a criminal offence if I make a false declaration to obtain a driving licence and can lead to prosecution.” so its a chance you take

would they find out about private treatment - unlikely
but if they do find out - you will be prosecuted
 
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rufus said:
seeking advice -No
but it getting treatment, you should declare it going by the law - it even asks about detox and rehab

you also sign the form where it says withholding information or not disclosing information is a crime and punishable with blah blah blah
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well detox and rehab i can imagine would ask you your address and name of your surgery as you are getting medical treatment in aid of alcohol withdrawal.....
Private counselling on the other hand is talking therapy... so they are two separate entities.

If you phoned the samaritans for 3 minutes and talked to someone, would you have to disclose that?
 
no but the Samaritans arent trained alcohol councillors giving you treatment - they are kind hearted people trying to help
 
rufus said:
no but the Samaritans arent trained alcohol councillors giving you treatment - they are kind hearted people trying to help
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I know, i used to volunteer for years... my point is that you dont need to disclose private talking therapy, regardless of who it is with..... only medical intervention, as they are the only ones who will ask you your name/address/GP/surgery name/phone number.
If you want to TALK... go private, but i go back to my initial point in that not all people are able to afford "private".
You can find private counsellors online in your area, and all it takes is an email to set up an initial appointment and you meet, talk and see if you have a rapport together.... all this is done privately and does not have to be disclosed... you are not breaking any laws by disclosing 'talking therapy'
 
Rosie - of coarse ringing a charity help line doesnt need to be disclosed be it smaritans / Frank / or any other I am and always have been talking about treatment by professionals

I will agree to disagree with you on the subject of what you are required to tell them about Ie private treatment - but on the subject of "should you", well thats another matter.

I tried being honest and using our medical system and look where it has got me - thats all I say
 
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Rufus - there is nothing on the DVLA form regarding talking therapy... it only states GP and consultant.....

a private counsellor or a samaritan call is neither.

Ive had plenty of time to read the form for 3 years now and it hasnt changed or updated to include anything else.

All the best to you for the new year.
 
Taken from DR1 - you may need to read it again then

PART C: Please give details of other clinics you are attending below
clinic definition: 1. a building, often part of a hospital, to which people can go for medical care or advice relating to a particular condition

Q h), been advised by a doctor or counsellor to reduce your alcohol intake?

happy new year and good luck those idiots in the DVLA
 
I for one agree that talking to a doctor is too risky, and I wouldn't bother again. In fact I actively avoid them. Anything said to your GP is NOT confidential, and will be used against you, so either go private or use doctor Google, and never, EVER, tick a box to say it is ok to contact your gp. When you realise there is so much b/s around, and nobody knows what they are talking about (especially dvla) then you are better off with self help. Just for illustration, my gp decided I was dependent on alcohol, and it's use was uncontrolled, based on her own wet opinion and her own medical notes alone, no justification beyond that, and no reference to any definitions. I later found out that I was nowhere near any definition of dependence, and my LFT's for a year beforehand were normal (being monitored for other things). Do you think dvla are interested? Nope, couldn't care less, just acting on information received and don't give a damn about accuracy, so sod off. I don't have a d/d conviction by the way, just a doctor that doesn't know s*** from dirty pudding.
 
I think the DiVvyLA's wouldn't even entertain returning a licence if you didnt allow access to your medical records - thats where thy have you over a barrel - damned if you do damned if you dont, if you have something on record from the past.

Definitely use helplines /online help groups /charities / AA (if religion floats your boat) but dont go to your GP and ask for help (I aviod calling them Doctors as they dont have a PHD, they are general practitioners - jack of all trades masters of none) if its on your record your are buggered for the next 3 years
 
I have come to these same conclusions myself. They are pretty horrifying. After this NYE I wont be drinking another drink for 16 months before my DVLA CDT test in March 2020. I’m not an alcoholic. I’m not alcohol dependant. I won’t have any issues stopping. But I did tell my doctor 15 months ago that I had drank to relieve anxiety. So there is the answer to the “last 3 years” thing. I also told the court I would refer myself to an alcohol Program. Which I did. Until one of the guys committed suicide, at which point I withdrew. The people on the course had hit rock-bottom. Homeless. Drug Users. I don’t judge them, but they absolutely were not me, or my situation. The *absolute worst* decision I did in relation to drink driving was telling to medical professionals that I had used alcohol as self medication. I realise this won’t be a popular to many advisors here... but just remember the old arrest rights... “anything you say may be used against you”.

As an HRO... how the hell am I going to prove to a DVLA I have been abstinent for over a year if even their own measure of safe CDT isn’t enough for them?
 
DK... this is EXACTLY why i havent seen my GP in 4 year...

TBH, when i got my ban of 40 months in December 2015, after the initial shock/suspended sentence/2 month curfew (I even went to court on my own with a change of clothes and a list of vegetables and salad for my guinea pig and money to buy fresh food left in the kitchen to a close by neighbour who could feed him as i seriously thought i was going down) I came out thinking OK... i need to do some research here..... 3 years on and THIS is the reason Ive not been to see my GP through the upset, the isolation or anything, because i knew it would go against me....
I seriously think through seeing Rufus's posts that people who are labelled HRO really do NEED more info on what it means.
3 year ago i had none, and spent a while researching... but my concern is the new HRO's literally have no idea what it means and that they think once their ban is up then they automatically get their licence back.
 
DonkeyKong said:
I have come to these same conclusions myself. They are pretty horrifying. After this NYE I wont be drinking another drink for 16 months before my DVLA CDT test in March 2020. I’m not an alcoholic. I’m not alcohol dependant. I won’t have any issues stopping. But I did tell my doctor 15 months ago that I had drank to relieve anxiety. So there is the answer to the “last 3 years” thing. I also told the court I would refer myself to an alcohol Program. Which I did. Until one of the guys committed suicide, at which point I withdrew. The people on the course had hit rock-bottom. Homeless. Drug Users. I don’t judge them, but they absolutely were not me, or my situation. The *absolute worst* decision I did in relation to drink driving was telling to medical professionals that I had used alcohol as self medication. I realise this won’t be a popular to many advisors here... but just remember the old arrest rights... “anything you say may be used against you”.

As an HRO... how the hell am I going to prove to a DVLA I have been abstinent for over a year if even their own measure of safe CDT isn’t enough for them?
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Thats a question I might put to them - LFT results were deemed not an accurate measure, so they changed to CDT, you pass that and now they say thats not proof- you need to alcohol free for a year - if they told me this 16 months ago I could have done something about it - why dont they ask your GP as soon as you get banned what your alcohol situation is, tell you that you must be alcohol free for the last 12 month of your ban and then you can prepare , do what is required of you to get your license back
 
But how the hell will anyone know if We have been alcohol free if they don’t even believe their own tests? I never told anyone I was alcohol dependant ... because I’m not. My Dr has never told me I’m alcohol dependant... because he has never tested me for it... and... I’m not! If the CDT half life is 15 days, and the general consensus is that 12 weeks is the worst possible case scenario of being detectable... then on what basis can anyone make a decision on my 12 months abstinence other that my word? What will they compare my <1% reading with, given they have no other records?

The DVLA seem to be saying... if you are over 3% then you are absolutely a “red zone” problem drinker and definitely won’t get your license back. Fair enough. But if you are in the <2.1, and therefore in the “green zone” you still might not get your license back anyway because 3 years ago you told your Dr you had drank? This is total bullshit.
 
DonkeyKong said:
But if you are in the <2.1, and therefore in the “green zone” you still might not get your license back anyway because 3 years ago you told your Dr you had drank? This is total bullshit.
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I know... and thats what i read about 3 year back and why i havent been to the GP for absolutely anything at all for 4 years now, which is ridiculous but i couldnt risk anything.

Basically, even if you get the green light, they still contact your GP.

It made me angry too, but then it just made me more motivated as the months and years went on
 
So does this mean I have to go and get some sort of test now from my Dr, to prove I am already alcohol free? And then get another in 12 months to prove the same? Otherwise I still can’t see how I can prove 12 months when I pass the CDT test with what will be flying colours?
 
I would contact the DVLA and ask them what they require as proof so you at least have a record of the DVLA stating a method & pass figure.

Its the road I am going down if I cant get this overturned. I would want a test method (LFT hopefully as these can be done free on the NHS) and a pass figure from them.

But like you say, in between test you could be doing anything, its not proof of abstinence

My revoke letter says "we will only accept an application from you when you have not had any alcohol for one year AND where appropriate your blood tests return to normal." which I thought I had proved with the 1.0% on the CDT test and do I need to (is it appropriate - they dont say)
 
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... and if I go back to the Dr now, to ask them how I can prove abstinence... I have now been to see them about alcohol issues, which means I won’t get the license back. So if you don’t go to see them, to be tested... then you can’t prove abstinence. But if you do go to see them, then you are proving you had alcohol problems and won’t get your license back either? This is looking like a lose-lose situation. What an absolutely ridiculous system.
 
you can request a full disclosure of your record under the freedom of information act (forget what the actual term is) then you can see yourself what has been put on your record and have it changed if incorrect. so then you havent contacted them about alcohol issues

but a covering note that you have requested the tests to as proof of abstinence should suffice
 
I think my situation isnt helped by the fact my GP didnt think to add that I now dont have an issue, only that I have much improved LFT results.
He is/was never supportive anyway even when I begged him to change my anti depressents - this is why I avoided seeing him until getting a second LFT to show improvement

PS If you admit to exceeding safe drinking limits or the 8 units in one sitting this will go down on your record and they always ask about this and smoking, its like standard GP questions they must ask
 
8 units in one sitting. Less than 4 pints, or one bottle of wine. Like most of the population do multiple days every week. A guy on my Rehab course gave up a couple of weeks ago and didn’t complete the last day. Because his average night out was around 15 pints. His Parting statement after doing the calculation about alcohol expulsion (one unit an hour) was... “so, basically, I have *never* driven to work sober the next day” And on finding out the CDT test could potentially indicate drinking over up to 6 months... said there was no point in even trying.
 
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