After receiving letter to book medical how long to wait

Convicted Driver Insurance

Black46

Member
Hi everyone,

Just wondered if anyone could help...

I applied for my license back on 28th September - I'm a HRO and will need a medical. Still not heard back yet.

I have been not drinking since mid September and am not worried about the medical - even without this period of abstinence I think I would pass the test fine.

However, it's looking highly unlikely I will be having the medical before Christmas now - they haven't even processed my application yet.

So i was thinking that when i do finally receive the letter to book the medical i would just book it sometime mid January so i can enjoy the Christmas week, have a few drinks, then have 3 weeks of abstinence before having the medical. (I would not be drinking excessively at all, just want to have a few drinks without worrying)

Will I be able to choose a date in the future like this to have my medical when it comes to booking it or do you have to book it within a certain time frame?

Thanks for any advice!
 
The medical is more than passing a CDT test, questions are asked about the frequency of your drinking and the quantity.
It may well be that DVLA will write to your GP for your medical history to decide if they are going to classify you as alcohol dependent (needing 12 months abstinence) or alcohol misuse (needing to demonstrate drinking within the current guidelines of no more than 14 units in a week, spread out)

I could write lots more about your question, but I will leave it at: “if you are keen to get your licence back, why risk drinking at all in the run up to the test. There will be many more Christmases (and birthdays) in the years to come where you can enjoy a drink after getting that all important driving licence back.
 
The medical is more than passing a CDT test, questions are asked about the frequency of your drinking and the quantity.
It may well be that DVLA will write to your GP for your medical history to decide if they are going to classify you as alcohol dependent (needing 12 months abstinence) or alcohol misuse (needing to demonstrate drinking within the current guidelines of no more than 14 units in a week, spread out)

I could write lots more about your question, but I will leave it at: “if you are keen to get your licence back, why risk drinking at all in the run up to the test. There will be many more Christmases (and birthdays) in the years to come where you can enjoy a drink after getting that all important driving licence back.
I have never been to the doctor with regards to my drinking and so there won't be an issue with my medical history.

The medical questions about my drinking again wont be a problem. I have zero problems with alcohol. My conviction was quite complex - i wasn't drink driving, my engine was never switched on which was proved in court but thats a whole other story...

As I mentioned i feel confident i would pass the medical even without abstaining but since i sent my application off i have not had a drink because i have taken the medical very seriously and wanted to get the process done as quickly as possible.

But now with all these delays, if I am not going to receive my letter to book the medical until the week after christmas or even after i don't see the harm in booking the medical a few weeks later than I would have. There is going to be a long delay in getting my license back anyway because of the DVLA. My ban ends on Christmas Day and there is no way I am going to have my license back then.

I just wanted to know if you are able to book the medical for a date of your choosing.

Thanks
 
Hi everyone,

Just wondered if anyone could help...

I applied for my license back on 28th September - I'm a HRO and will need a medical. Still not heard back yet.

I have been not drinking since mid September and am not worried about the medical - even without this period of abstinence I think I would pass the test fine.

However, it's looking highly unlikely I will be having the medical before Christmas now - they haven't even processed my application yet.

So i was thinking that when i do finally receive the letter to book the medical i would just book it sometime mid January so i can enjoy the Christmas week, have a few drinks, then have 3 weeks of abstinence before having the medical. (I would not be drinking excessively at all, just want to have a few drinks without worrying)

Will I be able to choose a date in the future like this to have my medical when it comes to booking it or do you have to book it within a certain time frame?

Thanks for any advice!
Hi Black46

Just based on my own experience, my medical letter arrived around 8 weeks after sending off my application form. The letter then states that you must complete your medical within 12 weeks of receiving the letter, so, I suppose you could ring to book for a date in the future. I think they generally suggest the earliest date, but you could say you're unavilable for that date,and they will offer you another
 
Hi Black46

Just based on my own experience, my medical letter arrived around 8 weeks after sending off my application form. The letter then states that you must complete your medical within 12 weeks of receiving the letter, so, I suppose you could ring to book for a date in the future. I think they generally suggest the earliest date, but you could say you're unavilable for that date,and they will offer you another

Ok - thank you :)

It's been 8 weeks since I sent my application now and it hasn't even been processed or my cheque cashed yet so I highly doubt i have any chance of getting my medical booked before Christmas...
 
Ok - thank you :)

It's been 8 weeks since I sent my application now and it hasn't even been processed or my cheque cashed yet so I highly doubt i have any chance of getting my medical booked before Christmas...

Black46

Given the huge backlog with the DVLA, I would anticipate the 12 week rule has been wavered in the current climate. I would anticipate you will not be doing you HRO medical until the new year.

As for your medical history - as long as you have no documented medical history with alcohol problems you should be fine. Don't forget though - you do get asked 'non-alcohol' related medical questions, so you need to be totally truthful.

Even if you have a clear medical background and last saw your GP X number of years ago, the DVLA medical team may still write to your GP anyway. It is almost like an integrity exercise.

CJ
 
Black46

Given the huge backlog with the DVLA, I would anticipate the 12 week rule has been wavered in the current climate. I would anticipate you will not be doing you HRO medical until the new year.

As for your medical history - as long as you have no documented medical history with alcohol problems you should be fine. Don't forget though - you do get asked 'non-alcohol' related medical questions, so you need to be totally truthful.

Even if you have a clear medical background and last saw your GP X number of years ago, the DVLA medical team may still write to your GP anyway. It is almost like an integrity exercise.

CJ

Thank you for the reply :)
 
I have never been to the doctor with regards to my drinking and so there won't be an issue with my medical history.

The medical questions about my drinking again wont be a problem. I have zero problems with alcohol. My conviction was quite complex - i wasn't drink driving, my engine was never switched on which was proved in court but thats a whole other story...

As I mentioned i feel confident i would pass the medical even without abstaining but since i sent my application off i have not had a drink because i have taken the medical very seriously and wanted to get the process done as quickly as possible.

But now with all these delays, if I am not going to receive my letter to book the medical until the week after christmas or even after i don't see the harm in booking the medical a few weeks later than I would have. There is going to be a long delay in getting my license back anyway because of the DVLA. My ban ends on Christmas Day and there is no way I am going to have my license back then.

I just wanted to know if you are able to book the medical for a date of your choosing.

Thanks
Many of the DVLA Doctors only do medicals on certain days of the week/month. They may offer you a date which doesn't fit with your requirements, which will mean that you then have to go through the torture of trying to call DVLA to get them to offer a different medical practice instead (and again they may not fit with your requirements).

I'm with Price here, it's best to just abstain until the medical is over and do the medical as soon as they offer it you. Trying to move things round to fit a few pints in doesn't seem worth it in my opinion, but at the end of the day it's up to you. Just remember, a licence is a privilege not a given right.

Given that your ban doesn't end until Christmas day, I'd be surprised if you get offered a medical much before February now anyway!
 
Many of the DVLA Doctors only do medicals on certain days of the week/month. They may offer you a date which doesn't fit with your requirements, which will mean that you then have to go through the torture of trying to call DVLA to get them to offer a different medical practice instead (and again they may not fit with your requirements).

I'm with Price here, it's best to just abstain until the medical is over and do the medical as soon as they offer it you. Trying to move things round to fit a few pints in doesn't seem worth it in my opinion, but at the end of the day it's up to you. Just remember, a licence is a privilege not a given right.

Given that your ban doesn't end until Christmas day, I'd be surprised if you get offered a medical much before February now anyway!
Thank you for your reply.
Please don’t think I’m not taking this seriously, as I’ve said I’ve not had had a drink since mid September in preparation for the medical.
I just wanted to be able to relax and enjoy a few drinks over Christmas.
when you receive the letter do you have to apply within a certain time frame? What if you were away on holiday when the letter arrived and you weren’t able to make the call to book the appointment for a few weeks? I just don’t see a problem in waiting a while to book the medical.
as you say it probably won’t be a problem as I’m unlikely to invited to book a medical until after Christmas anyway.
 
DVLA give you a 12 week window to book the test, but you may be at the mercy of the designated doctor as some of them only do the DVLA stuff one or two mornings a week and are booked well ahead. Remember, Delaying the medical is delaying when you get your licence back.
 
DVLA give you a 12 week window to book the test, but you may be at the mercy of the designated doctor as some of them only do the DVLA stuff one or two mornings a week and are booked well ahead. Remember, Delaying the medical is delaying when you get your licence back.
I see, thank you for the reply and the information.
I appreciate everyone’s responses.
 
Hi all, I have found the easiest way to get in contact with DVLA is email medicalsupport@dvla.gov.uk
I had to change the location of doctors appointment so just sent an email to this address and got a response within 2 hours. It’s less stress than waiting on the phone.
 
Hi everyone,

Just wondered if anyone could help...

I applied for my license back on 28th September - I'm a HRO and will need a medical. Still not heard back yet.

I have been not drinking since mid September and am not worried about the medical - even without this period of abstinence I think I would pass the test fine.

However, it's looking highly unlikely I will be having the medical before Christmas now - they haven't even processed my application yet.

So i was thinking that when i do finally receive the letter to book the medical i would just book it sometime mid January so i can enjoy the Christmas week, have a few drinks, then have 3 weeks of abstinence before having the medical. (I would not be drinking excessively at all, just want to have a few drinks without worrying)

Will I be able to choose a date in the future like this to have my medical when it comes to booking it or do you have to book it within a certain time frame?

Thanks for any advice!
Hi Black46.

'Thinking' you will have an acceptable CDT level is not the same as getting one. You really need to decide if getting your licence back is more important than 'enjoying' yourself over the Christmas and New Year period. I don't know what your regular drinking habits are, but there are threads on the forum about CDT half lives and when you will be able to pass the test, but that is only useful if you have a current baseline to work to. I haven't drank for nearly 2.5 years, but I still decided to get a private CDT and LFT test from Medichecks (advert below.) My CDT was 0.20% and my LFT's were normal. I think reading between the lines of your post, you haven't exactly been abstinent during your ban (nor do you need to be,) but if you have drunk excessively, your CDT will be raised. Be honest with yourself and add up the number of units you drink in a normal week, then add a bit on for those special occasions. I can guarantee it will be more than the recommended 14.

Here is my current timeline which I've posted on here a few times. You can see that from application to medical letter being received was 2.5 months. If these timescales are still valid, this would take you through to mid December before you received your letter. You then have 10 weeks in which to take the medical. So targeting January/February is not unreasonable.

This would give you more than enough time to get the Medichecks CDT test and then decide a way forward depending on the results.

ACTIONDAYSCOMMENT
Licence Applied For
15/07/2021​
0
Application form Rec'd from DVLA
27/07/2021​
12
Called
24/08/2021​
40
Cheque Cashed
31/08/2021​
47
Called
03/09/2021​
50
Medical Letter Received
14/09/2021​
61
Medical
30/09/2021​
77
Driving Ban Ends
12/10/2021​
89Date when my driving ban ended.
Called
19/10/2021​
96Told by handler that everything had been received and was with medical section
Called
12/11/2021​
120Told the CDT DR1 form was missing and that Doctor had been contacted - 1.5 hour call
Called Doctor - Glasgow Medical Rooms
12/11/2021​
120They sent everything back on the 30th Sept stapled together. They have received NO communication from DVLA regarding missing forms
Called DVLA again
13/11/2021​
121Told that 'everything was in hand' and I would be contacted asap. No idea what that means or where this leaves myself.
Called Doctor to see if DVLA had been in touch with them.
17/11/2021​
125No contact from DVLA but was told that they had a copy of my form on file and they would Fax it to DVLA today. This is contrary to what they told me last week when they sadi they do not retain copies. This info could have been faxed on the 12/22/2021. Not happy.
Letter from DVLA dated 16/11/2021
19/11/2021​
127Received a letter from DVLA dated the 16th November saying they now had all the information from the Dr. who carried out my DVLA medical and that they had written to my GP for additional health info. Strange that when I called on the 12th November I was told the CDT DR1 from was missing and it was only on the 17th November that Dr. faxed it to the DVLA again. Someone, somewhere is telling porkies.
 
I see, thank you for the reply and the information.
I appreciate everyone’s responses.
The DVLA received my application on the 3rd of September, it was scanned into the system on the 17th of November but I’m still waiting for my medical.
I spoke to the medical department on Monday and they said it was in a queue and the next thing I hear will be a letter asking for me to book a medical, they wouldn’t give me a timeframe though, just said it would hopefully be soon.
 
The DVLA received my application on the 3rd of September, it was scanned into the system on the 17th of November but I’m still waiting for my medical.
I spoke to the medical department on Monday and they said it was in a queue and the next thing I hear will be a letter asking for me to book a medical, they wouldn’t give me a timeframe though, just said it would hopefully be soon.
Your letter should be arriving any time soon as circa 8 weeks+ have passed since your application.

Good luck.
 
Enter code DRINKDRIVING10 during checkout for 10% off
Top