How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

DVLA High Risk Offender Medical

Convicted Driver Insurance
Thanks for the speedy reply Price.
My units calculation is as near to the truth as I can get. Occasionally it could be a couple more but the same in reverse. I do not drink heavily but I have an early evening tipple while I prepare my meal and then I don't usually want anymore. Of course if I'm out socialising then it's different and that's where the binging might come in. That's probably twice a month. As for lunch time drinking ... that's a no no. Firstly, I'm a counsellor and I do not mix my professionalism with my pleasure and secondly, I wouldn't give a thank you for a day-time drink.
I am tempted to go for the delay in the medical but I really don't want to drive under the section 88 as my insurance will be confusing. That is, unless you know something different?
I guess a further week waiting to drive would be better than a further 6 months if I fail?
So confused??
 
Pinky,
your choice, and not much time to make it in....!
you could enquire about the insurance aspect, from a broker with experience of covering convicted drink drivers. This would show you what the difference would be with a s88 licence versus a straightforward restoration.
People report good results from: http://www.henshalls.com/contact
Let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks Price, I will check out that insurance company.
Meanwhile, I have just cancelled for tomorrow and now going next week. On reflection, at least I'll feel that I've given it my best shot.
I could have been abstaining for longer if I knew I had to have the medical. DVLA only just told me and that's because I applied for my licence.
It might delay it a bit but whatever the delay it could be the difference between a few weeks and 6 months.
Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.
 
Were you not told about the High Risk Offender scheme, and that it applied to you, when you did your course? Who was it with?
 
No, I was told that DVLA would contact me up to 56 days before my licence was due back so when I never heard I thought I didn't need medical.
I blew quite low but it was my 2nd offence so I might have been borderline, I dunno.
I did my course at Durrington and the lady was rubbish. Every time someone asked a question she jotted it down and said she would Google it that evening. She thought it was hilarious to drink and told us how much she had consumed the previous evening.
Hey ho.
 
In fact DVLA should have written to you 3 months ahead of you applying for your licence back, but that depends on:
1. You completing the course in enough time for the court to be informed, and then in turn inform DVLA in enough time for them to send out the notice to apply for your Licence back 3 months early. If they are told less than 3 months before that date, they do not send out a notification retrospectively.
2. They write to the address on your licence, so if you have moved since, you would not get the notification. It should be made clear to high risk offenders on the course that they start the process 3 months before they are due to get their licence back.
The norm for a second conviction in 10 years is a 3 year ban, as you got 4 years, are you sure your reading was 'borderline', if so, there must have been other aggravating circumstances about when you were stopped.
What was the name of the company you did the course with? There are several who do them in that area.
 
I did my course in September. I have done everything correct to the time schedules etc. I didn't say I was borderline on blowing; borderline on whether I was high risk. Anyway, It appears that I am so no point going on a bout that one. Also the course is done and dusted so no point in going on about that one either.
No offence Price but you appear to be questioning a lot of things that I say. I'm not sure why as I really do know what I'm saying. I wasn't appealing to be questioned I was appealing for advice. I feel like you are judging me and trying to catch me out for some reason.
Once again I thank you for the advice that you did give earlier.
 
Pinky,
I am trying to help you with your situation. I am not doubting you about what you say, just trying to get things clarified so that I give you proper advice. Advice needs full information, or it will be wrong.
If I had just said "yes, don't worry, do the medical." without giving it full thought, and you failed, you would not be happy with the advice I offered.
I queried your reading because you said: "I blew quite low but it was my 2nd offence so I might have been borderline, I dunno. "
You get a minimum 3 year ban for a second conviction if you are convicted for a second time at ANY time during the following 10 years. Courts do usually stick to the minimum 3 years, as that is a big punishment without going higher.
The 4 year ban suggested that there was something particularly aggravating about your circumstances, and this may make DVLA look at your medical results in greater detail. That is why I saw that as needing clarification.
The reason I asked about the course provider is that I can feed information about instances like this (without any identifying details) into the DSA monitoring system, in order to try to get the quality of the courses, and the trainers, improved. This includes the trail where people should be told about being a High Risk Offender, and the need for a medical, which is:
DVLA write to you after your ban, telling you that you are HRO.
The Course Provider should make it clear to you on your course, together with the timescale of applying 3 months before you are due your licence back.
DVLA send you an application form 3 months before you are due your licence back.
as I mentioned, 1 and 3 are dependent of DVLA knowing your current address. There should be no excuse, though, for you not being told on the course. I am not saying that you are not telling the truth when you say that you were not told there.
I am certainly not judging you, Pinky, you get enough punishment from the process of being caught and losing your licence. I write on this forum in my own time to try and help people with their situation. If you have any other queries, I will gladly help you with them.
 
Windsor12 said:
Hello and thank you for having me.

I need to do a medical beacuse I was convicted 10 years ago ad then again 2 1/2 Years ago.

While I have been off the road my drinking got worse, in that time I have been regularly drinking about 18 units a day most days - I frighten myself.

Probably doesnt help but I only drank in the evenings, never during the day, I eat vey healthily, take vitamins and regular in the gym keeping fit (ish). I am 5'10" and 82 kilos and I hold down a good job
In good health and not had reason to visit a doctor for at least 10 years

I have not touched a drink for 14 days now, clean break, and intend to keep that up beyond the medical.


As you can imagine, with that level of abuse I am very worried. Please advise me on my best course of action as to how long I need before I dare take the test and other things I should be doing.

Many thanks
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Hi
I had to attend a medical and wait for the results to see if I have "passed"
I took the medical and bloods on 17 march 2014.

I live a fast pace of life in sales therefore nights out dinner is normal.
My drinks are maybe once every other weekend "out" and would consume 10pints a night and two nights a week I would have a drink at the pub. But this isn't every single day/weekend I don't want to sound like I do it all the time. (Just want you to get the picture)

I found through this forum a mixture of things and I basically **** myself on what ppl we're saying.
I decided on not drinking for 5 weeks then went for the medical.
Not 1 drop!
I asked the doctor out right as what there testing for. ( people in here we're worried it was drugs too)
I asked was it for drugs, he said no and that it was to basically see if I use alcohol to a high standard, he said I could of had a drink the night before and been ok if I'm not a heavy drinker.
Any way cut this short i was told to write a email to dvla the day you do the test with name date of birth address and signature and mail it to them via there website. A week later i had a email saying they have received the results and well get back agin in 3 days. Got home from work and it was there woo hoooo.

My advice stop drinking if your serious about your licence for 5 weeks.

When you do your medical go to there website and request your medical results

As they told me they haven't got a time limit on when il get the results I found this request got me the result and licence in 2 weeks!!! And they lied on the phone because date on my licence issued is when I was ringing them up and they was fibbing me off the first week.

And I've not drank now since the medical And feel fresh as a daisy.
Sorry for the long post
 
Mostongaz said:
Hi
I had to attend a medical and wait for the results to see if I have "passed"
I took the medical and bloods on 17 march 2014.

I live a fast pace of life in sales therefore nights out dinner is normal.
My drinks are maybe once every other weekend "out" and would consume 10pints a night and two nights a week I would have a drink at the pub. But this isn't every single day/weekend I don't want to sound like I do it all the time. (Just want you to get the picture)

I found through this forum a mixture of things and I basically **** myself on what ppl we're saying.
I decided on not drinking for 5 weeks then went for the medical.
Not 1 drop!
I asked the doctor out right as what there testing for. ( people in here we're worried it was drugs too)
I asked was it for drugs, he said no and that it was to basically see if I use alcohol to a high standard, he said I could of had a drink the night before and been ok if I'm not a heavy drinker.
Any way cut this short i was told to write a email to dvla the day you do the test with name date of birth address and signature and mail it to them via there website. A week later i had a email saying they have received the results and well get back agin in 3 days. Got home from work and it was there woo hoooo.

My advice stop drinking if your serious about your licence for 5 weeks.

When you do your medical go to there website and request your medical results

As they told me they haven't got a time limit on when il get the results I found this request got me the result and licence in 2 weeks!!! And they lied on the phone because date on my licence issued is when I was ringing them up and they was fibbing me off the first week.

And I've not drank now since the medical And feel fresh as a daisy.
Sorry for the long post
Click to expand...

Good for you and congrats :)
Moodle
 
Hi there.
Just looking for some support really.
I am going for my medical next Monday. 2 months ago I stopped drinking in the evenings at home
I have had a couple of blips with four glasses of wine 6 weeks ago on a night out with girls and three glasses of wine 3 weeks ago on Mother's Day. I had one glass of wine last night but only a small one (125ml) on a 'date'.
I would really like to know if I would be better to delay the blood test until I've completely abstained for 6 weeks as I'm worried the CDT may detect what may be regarded as 'binge drinking'
I am not misusing alcohol or alcohol dependant but in certain social situations I do enjoy a drink.

Please offer fed me any support or help you can go help me get through this very tough time.
 
I would not worry about the odd excess, so long as it is not coming after repeated drinking frequently before the time you have told us about.
you do not have to abstain completely for 6 weeks, sensible drinking is fine, 2-3 units day illy for a female, but the odd excess as you have described should not be a problem if your liver has had plenty of drink free days.
 
Chaotic,

I had my medical on a Friday and had drank the Friday and Saturday of the previous weekend. I took Milk Thistle tablets and drank lots of water the week before the medical and passed and have been issued with a 10 year provisional licence.
 
Thanks price and andy cabs.
Yes, you've bit nail on head, price.
Prior to this 2 months I was drinking much more. The month before the two months I mention, I had a four day weekend in Venice and drank 2-3 glasses of wine with lunch and dinner!! But, didn't drink much else for that month. The month before that I was drinking about 3 bottles of wine a week and had been drinking that much for over a year!
This is what worries me.
 
I found this on the net from a biochemist consultant at a London hospital :
Level of alcohol consumption necessary and over what period to increase the CDT level to 3.0%.
Typically the level of alcohol intake required to produce a CDT result of 3.0% is 100-150 g alcohol/day. This equates to about 5 pints of beer, a bottle of wine or one third of a bottle of spirits daily. As stated earlier the half-life of transferrin in blood is 7 - 14 days so excess intake would need to fall within this time period. It is important at this stage to add the caveat that the relationship between amount of alcohol consumed and percent CDT is not as reliable in pre-menopausal women compared to men or post-menopausal women. It is believed that this is due to the changes in hormones in the blood during the menstrual cycle or present in oral contraceptives affecting the enzymes involved in regulating the carbohydrate sidechains. There is very little information regarding CDT and HRT (hormone replacement therapy). Total transferrin concentrations increase throughout pregnancy reflecting the increased requirement for iron of the developing foetus. Although earlier studies expressing CDT in absolute values demonstrated an increase in CDT in the third trimester there is no evidence that pregnancy itself causes an increase in CDT values when expressed as a percentage of total transferrin.
4) Can CDT levels be increased by intermittent drinking?
Intermittent or “binge” drinking can increase CDT levels. The extent to which this occurs is dependent on the frequency of “binges” and the amount of alcohol consumed on each occasion. Someone drinking 200-300 g alcohol two days a week, but abstaining on the other days, could have a CDT level of 1.5-3%. Conversely, someone who only has one “binge” in a 14 day period and does not consume alcohol for the rest of the time period is unlikely to have a raised CDT, as the normal transferrin produced on the other 13 days would ‘dilute’ the CDT produced on the day of drinking.
Hope this helps
 
So, based on the above I would be alcohol free for 4 weeks at the time of the test. However, I think I'm perimenopausal so that adds another stumbling block! Although, I know my MCV is normal, my recent CRP was 0
My hb is normal I don't know my GGT or ALT. I'm really fretting feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
Any offer of support at this very difficult time for me is appreciated. I know I got into this mess but I'd like to get my kids to school when it's raining, take them to sleepovers like their friends, do a meditation class, meet friends. I feel very isolated being a single mum with no licence - hopefully get my licence back 28th May after a 9 month ban for not providing a sample. There's not a day goes by that I don't shiver with fear at what I did
 
Chaotic said:
http://kingspath.co.uk/resources/pdf
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Hi Chaotic,

Female and definitely premenopausal mum to a (now) 7 year old this end, I got my licence back early last December...you have my full attention as I know how hard it was taking ruddy buses here there and everywhere just to get my daughter to school, parties etc etc, nightmare.... from what you have said and others I really don't think this is a big issue for you, BUT I can totally understand the anxiety related to it.... it really doesn't sound that you have been drinking crazily enough for your reading to be high, in all honesty I think this test is really to pick up repeated heavily drinking people as opposed to those that occasionally like a drink although liking a drink can mean lots of different things to lots of different people.....would there be anything on your records over the last 3 years about alcohol abuse, detoxification, issues?

Personally I would run with the medical, I was asked my last date I drank and how much and appreciating I stopped from the day I was arrested (a day I will never forget)....
Best of luck :)
Moodle
 
Hi moodle.
Thanks for your reply.
I have never seen my GP re issues about my drinking. Never seen it as a problem. Liked a couple of glasses of wine in the evening after stressful day at work to unwind. And that's how I got into this mess ! I'd do e a 12 hour shift, two glasses of wine and a bath and a friend calls to meet for some dinner as my kids had just gone on hols with their dad. Oh the thought of it!!!
I've never had an accident either and the night in question I'd pulled over realising after about 20 mins of driving that I shouldn't have been. Then a police car pulled up behind me.
I never asked my GP for help with alcohol issues and have had no sickness from work this year and only 3 days last year.
I do hope what I'm reading is true and also whet you say too. I just got to believe in myself. I divorced 3 yrs ago and there was a period around that time that I drank more than I should of. I'm worried that period in my life may have had a lasting effect on my liver and my tests could be abnormal because of it. I've lost so much, my fiancé, my self-respect, my confidence, friends are nowhere to be seen. I'm totally without a soul in this world that cares about what happens to me. Now I sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself but sadly it's true. I get more support from here than from anyone in my life. I am so ashamed of myself!
 
Chaotic said:
Hi moodle.
Thanks for your reply.
I have never seen my GP re issues about my drinking. Never seen it as a problem. Liked a couple of glasses of wine in the evening after stressful day at work to unwind. And that's how I got into this mess ! I'd do e a 12 hour shift, two glasses of wine and a bath and a friend calls to meet for some dinner as my kids had just gone on hols with their dad. Oh the thought of it!!!
I've never had an accident either and the night in question I'd pulled over realising after about 20 mins of driving that I shouldn't have been. Then a police car pulled up behind me.
I never asked my GP for help with alcohol issues and have had no sickness from work this year and only 3 days last year.
I do hope what I'm reading is true and also whet you say too. I just got to believe in myself. I divorced 3 yrs ago and there was a period around that time that I drank more than I should of. I'm worried that period in my life may have had a lasting effect on my liver and my tests could be abnormal because of it. I've lost so much, my fiancé, my self-respect, my confidence, friends are nowhere to be seen. I'm totally without a soul in this world that cares about what happens to me. Now I sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself but sadly it's true. I get more support from here than from anyone in my life. I am so ashamed of myself!
Click to expand...

Crumbs you have had a time of it then, I really wouldn't worry about GGT and ALT or AST etc etc as that would have been relevant to the old type tests (LFT's) this is different and probably used due to other illnesses sometimes affecting liver function etc.... It really really doesn't sound like you would have an issue from what you have said, the questions you will be asked mostly relate to a 3 year window and whether there has been GP intervention for alcohol abuse etc, you haven't! At the time I got stopped I had just made the final decision to put my Mother in a care home, she was only meant to be in there for respite, I drank more than I normally would, fuelled by stress and high emotions, went back to check my daughters kindle hadn't been left in the car where it was parked and to buy some cigarettes and more wine and got arrested for being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle! I didn't have the engine on or the keys in the ignition...but apparently I said I was going to drive..or had driven, god knows....I was in a mess at the time and other than 3 glasses of wine in January this year the night before a conference (where I was spending the night and the entire next day) that is all I drank from last May! A period of time drinking more than we know is good isn't unusual for most people, we all have our reasons why at the time, probation n court kindly said that at the time I was 'self medicating using alcohol' which sounded flipping awful but on reflection that was what I was doing!

You will get through this and normality will return, and the friends that didn't stand by you clearly weren't worth much then (no offence)...

Let us know how you get on...& take care,
Moodle
 
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