Morning everyone
I've just been reading some of the recent comments on here and it does bring back some painful memories for me from late last year.
The DVLA situation has been flagged up a few times recently in the press and media. There was an edition of the BBC One Show earlier this month where they raised the issue of the DVLA waiting times for driving licence applications. There was no specific mention of HRO's - I'm sure raising sympathy for drink drivers on a prime time BBC One programme isn't a wise move!?!?!?!
The general issue is that the DVLA are taking industrial action with their employers over the unsafe environments they have forced people to work in during the Covid pandemic. The BBC One Show seem to suggest the 'standoff' is likely to rumble on for sometime, so it isn't great for those of you reaching the end of a drink driving ban who need a HRO medical.
I've been through the grinder myself and waited a further month beyond the end of my ban to finally get back on the road.
Just some tips for those of you presently in this situation -
- The DVLA Medical Team number is a friggin nightmare to get through on. If you ring it - an automated voice states lines are busy and to call back later. If you just constantly hang up and redial, you will eventually 'trip' onto a waiting system where you will be in a 'queue' for friggin ages before getting through to one of the Swansea team.
I've never understood why the DVLA line does this - if you just repeatedly ring the Medical Team number, you should by the law of averages, just get onto the queue system. Please just set aside some time and leave the phone on loud speaker, while you potter about the house. The DVLA can have you waiting in a queue for over thirty minutes before someone answers.
- When the DVLA allocated me a HRO doctor in Preston, the surgery receptionist stated they could not make an appointment for me for the foreseeable future. Through the help of another forum member on here, I found an alternative DVLA approved doctor in Southport who had a diary with available appointments. However, the DVLA would not let me 'switch' doctors - I complained to Tim Burton (who is the DVLA Medical Team Manager) via e-mail and I was then allowed to change DVLA approved doctors.
The UK is not subject to any Covid restrictions anymore, so in theory there is nothing to stop HRO's travelling to the other side of the Country to have their medicals. People waiting to renew their licences can usually drive under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, but as a HRO coming to the end of a ban you do not have that luxury.
What the Medical Team at Swansea don't really appreciate is that many of us can be put in precarious positions by keeping us off the road longer than necessary. In my case, my job was at risk and it was prolonging unnecessary inconvenience for my 65-year-old mother who was having to drive me to work at 6 O'clock in the morning!!!! Therefore, it is vital that you put a good case across to Tim Burton explaining your personal issues concerned and the impact on others.
- When the DVLA write to your GP - please, please, make contact with your GP, go through the questions with them and most importantly of all - make sure the GP has sent the form back to Swansea!?!?!?!
I had a telephone appointment with my GP in mid December 2020, where she went through a few of the questions. She then stated she would then return the form to Swansea. Because the DVLA Medical Team have a Christmas break, I re-contacted them the second week in January 2021 to be told they were still awaiting contact from my GP, so could not move forward with my case.
I then rung my GP surgery and after a couple of difficult phone calls - I was advised my medical form was still in the GP's correspondence tray!!!! What I was told by Price1367, is that GP's have a 4-6 week time frame to complete your medical questionnaire, so the point I'm making is please make sure your GP has returned the form!!!! It does feel like you become a thorn in the side of your GP surgery, but it is imperative that you keep on at them to get this done as it can delay your case.
I hope I have shared some useful points on here of my own experience of the DVLA Medical Team. Good luck to those of you on here waiting to get back on the road. It is a horrible experience, but in an adverse way - it does re-enforce the message that none us want to ever find ourselves in this situation again.
CJ