How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

Coronavirus for HROs

Convicted Driver Insurance
Aron10 said:
Hi, just received email dvla closed over weekend and holiday Monday nice! And still not receiving applications, unless critical worker..
Click to expand...

This really is an insult - does the fact it's a bank holiday next Monday (25th May) make a blind bit of difference in the current climate? The DVLA are not processing medicals anyway!!!

I'm also a little bit dubious about the term 'key' or 'critical' worker because lots of people fall into the category who the DVLA will not consider. I can't imagine the anger & frustration this situation is causing many people.

I'm just hoping the situation will be different in October when I am due for my own medical. Next month should start seeing a lot of the lockdown being lifted. Italy & Spain are easing a lot of their own restrictions and they were about 2/3 weeks in front of the UK with the spread of the virus. Fingers crossed anyway.

CJ
 
It’s Wales we R waiting for !! They r still at the “stay at home” stage . I was due my license back 25th May , I don’t need a Medical but I’ve been unable to send paperwork in To DVLA . Hope we all manage to get our licenses back SOON !!!
 
Sarah39 said:
It’s Wales we R waiting for !! They r still at the “stay at home” stage . I was due my license back 25th May , I don’t need a Medical but I’ve been unable to send paperwork in To DVLA . Hope we all manage to get our licenses back SOON !!!
Click to expand...

The whole of Wales is still on lockdown, apart from golfists who can come and go as they please.

No offence to any golfists on this forum, but I can imagine nothing worse than standing in a field, hitting many balls into a hole with a stick.
 
foreverwaiting said:
Update I have just spoken to a private doctor based at Harley Street who would carry out the required CDT medical. Spoke the DVLA regarding this and was told the same again, as he is not a DVLA appointed doctor they would not send my paperwork to him as the medical would be deemed invalid.

Rock and a hard place.
Click to expand...

For anyone awaiting a medical I have found a Doctor in Grays who is currently carrying out medicals and I have had mine done there, I did call the dvla and they said that my medical would not be done until all franchised doctors where taking referrals, but I contacted Doctors directly and found one. When getting my medical done the Doctor said he was very quiet and had been open all during this crisis. I am happy to provide the surgery's details if anyone wants them.

When I contacted the dvla to say that I had found a Doctor, they said that they can not send the paperwork to this Doctor and I must wait until my allocated Doctor was doing tests. I believe that the surgery then contacted the Doctor and get sent my relevant paperwork.
 
price1367 said:
Are we sure that DVLA have told doctors to not do the medicals though..... or have the doctors told DVLA that they will not do this type of work during the current virus situation, because they have stopped doing many other medical things as well. If that is the case, no amount of pressure on DVLA will alter the unavailability of medicals........
Click to expand...

John, when I spoke to the DVLA they said that they where no doctors doing HRO medicals, then when I found a Doctor they said that they had that surgery listed as not available for medicals and said they would not be able to send my paperwork there, but I got my medical done on the 1st May 2020 and it is now waiting in a que to get examined at the dvla. I did put in a stage 1 complaint and have been contacted by the complaints team on the 7th May to say that I would have my license back in a couple of days. I contacted dvla again on the 14th May and they said they have received my medical results on the 12th May
 
mikec said:
John, when I spoke to the DVLA they said that they where no doctors doing HRO medicals, then when I found a Doctor they said that they had that surgery listed as not available for medicals and said they would not be able to send my paperwork there, but I got my medical done on the 1st May 2020 and it is now waiting in a que to get examined at the dvla. I did put in a stage 1 complaint and have been contacted by the complaints team on the 7th May to say that I would have my license back in a couple of days. I contacted dvla again on the 14th May and they said they have received my medical results on the 12th May
Click to expand...

So you can use another doctor and the DVLA was just lying to me ?
 
so did they send the paperwork to the "not available" doctor for you? I agree it seems to be very disorganized by DVLA
Perhaps as they have the doctor listed as not available for medicals - as in they had taken them off the list (Incorrectly) - they didn't tell them to not carry out medicals, so they are.....
 
Deano7879 said:
So you can use another doctor and the DVLA was just lying to me ?
Click to expand...

As I said, I have experience of people having problems with getting an appointment because none being available with the nominated doctor, or the nominated doctor being an unreasonable distance away and DVLA have always nominated another one.
Note the word nominate.... I have never seen someone TELL DVLA which doctor they wanted, but there again I have never seen a lockdown situation like we are in!
If you are sure that the doctor you want to use is on the DVLA list to do drink drive medicals (Not just HGV or maritime ones) and you can get it in writing (or email) from that doctor that they are willing to carry out the medical then you should register a complaint at DVLA that they are refusing to let this happen. Make sure you have all the bits to prove your case first.
 
Deano7879 said:
So you can use another doctor and the DVLA was just lying to me ?
Click to expand...
I dont think they were lying, you can use any dvla doctor, but the dvla must send them the relevant paperwork, as mentioned I rang the dvla to get the paperwork sent but they refused to do that, when I told the doctors surgery that, they called them and got the paperwork.
 
mikec said:
I dont think they were lying, you can use any dvla doctor, but the dvla must send them the relevant paperwork, as mentioned I rang the dvla to get the paperwork sent but they refused to do that, when I told the doctors surgery that, they called them and got the paperwork.
Click to expand...
Just to clarify, I never told the dvla that I must use this doctor, I simply suggested to them that I had found a doctor that would do a test for me and that they were a dvla franchised doctor.

When I origionally spoke to them they said that there were no doctors country wide that where doing HRO medicals, but this was obviously not true.
 
price1367 said:
so did they send the paperwork to the "not available" doctor for you? I agree it seems to be very disorganized by DVLA
Perhaps as they have the doctor listed as not available for medicals - as in they had taken them off the list (Incorrectly) - they didn't tell them to not carry out medicals, so they are.....
Click to expand...
they only sent the paperwork to the doctor on the surgeries request and would not send it when i spoke to them.
 
mikec said:
For anyone awaiting a medical I have found a Doctor in Grays who is currently carrying out medicals and I have had mine done there, I did call the dvla and they said that my medical would not be done until all franchised doctors where taking referrals, but I contacted Doctors directly and found one. When getting my medical done the Doctor said he was very quiet and had been open all during this crisis. I am happy to provide the surgery's details if anyone wants them.

When I contacted the dvla to say that I had found a Doctor, they said that they can not send the paperwork to this Doctor and I must wait until my allocated Doctor was doing tests. I believe that the surgery then contacted the Doctor and get sent my relevant paperwork.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike

thanks so much for posting, it seems we have booked in with the same doctor. What are the chances! However, the DVLA are refusing to send my paperwork to the doctor and I have an appointment for next week. How did you get around this? How did the doctor get your paperwork?
 
mikec said:
they only sent the paperwork to the doctor on the surgeries request and would not send it when i spoke to them.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike, just saw this post.

Did you use Dr Leighton? If not can I please have the details for the doctor you have got in touch with. I have one booked for next week but the DVLA won’t send the paperwork out to them!
 
Last edited:
foreverwaiting said:
Hi Mike, just saw this post.

Did you use Dr Leighton? If not can I please have the details for the doctor you have got in touch with. I have one booked for next week but the DVLA won’t send the paperwork out to them!
Click to expand...
I did use Doctor Leighton, if you contact the practise they may be able to get your paperwork off the dvla, they got it off them for me. Good Luck
 
mikec said:
I did use Doctor Leighton, if you contact the practise they may be able to get your paperwork off the dvla, they got it off them for me. Good Luck
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike. Just spoke to the lovely lady at reception and she is going to request my paperwork for me. She said they’ve been taking up to four days to get back to her so she said to call next Tuesday because of the bank holiday to get an update. I’m not hopeful as I’ve been calling the DVLA everyday they defiently have my number saved and my case file is probably flagged so most likely won’t send my paperwork to them out of principal for what they’ve told me everyday but fingers crossed!!!! Thanks so much for posting and giving me a little bit of hope. Good luck with your medical process too hope you get your results and license soon!
 
price1367 said:
As I said, I have experience of people having problems with getting an appointment because none being available with the nominated doctor, or the nominated doctor being an unreasonable distance away and DVLA have always nominated another one.
Note the word nominate.... I have never seen someone TELL DVLA which doctor they wanted, but there again I have never seen a lockdown situation like we are in!
If you are sure that the doctor you want to use is on the DVLA list to do drink drive medicals (Not just HGV or maritime ones) and you can get it in writing (or email) from that doctor that they are willing to carry out the medical then you should register a complaint at DVLA that they are refusing to let this happen. Make sure you have all the bits to prove your case first.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this advice price1367. I will definitely be registering a complaint with the DVLA if they don’t send my paperwork to the doctor now. Given that me and Mike have both been told the same thing “no medicals are being done and if you can get one booked we won’t send the paperwork out” and that we have both managed to find the same doctor (what are the chances!!!) and get a medical booked. If they refuse to send my paperwork to the same doctor Mike used and I am booked in for I might lose my mind.
 
Before you travel too far, check with your own doctor if they are answering DVLA enquiries if (when) the contact him for follow up enquiries. If your doctor is not dealing with thinks like that at the moment it might be a wasted journey.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Enter code DRINKDRIVING10 during checkout for 10% off
Top