I’m having problems with my Consultant declaring if I’m fit or not to drive.
Back in Nov 2019 I was given DBS. The Neurosurgeon told me not to drive for 2/3 weeks, which I thought was sensible, and so I didn’t. After the three weeks I continued driving, no problem.
In March this year I had a routine appointment with my Consultant Neurologist and during the appointment I happened to mention that my three year licence was due for renewal in July 2021. No problem she said but I would like you to conduct a cognitive test first. No mention as to whether I should in the meantime stop driving. Cognitive test scheduled for late June. Meanwhile I thought I better contact the hospital to see whether I should have actually stopped driving pending results of cognitive test. Within 10min her secretary got back to me and told me that I shouldn’t be driving until I had the test, so again I did as was asked. I completed the test and there were no major changes since before my DBS and nothing that would affect my driving. It was also mentioned in the report that the test was very limited and wasn’t specific to driving skills. No quick decision from my consultant as to whether I could continue driving was forthcoming. My licence expired on the 7th of July still without a decision. From what information I have my Consultant has responded to the DVLA but she refuses to acknowledge that she could give me permission to drive under section 88 of RTA while application in progress. We live in a semi rural location and public transport is not reliable. My GP, Tai Chi class and Support group is 5 miles away so not being able to drive has an affect on my quality of life. If my Consultant, who is a 100 miles away in Liverpool, had any inclination that my driving days was numbered I think the least she could have done was to talk it through with me with a degree of sympathy. Meanwhile now have to wait for DVLA to get back to me and with COVID-19 who knows when that will be
Anyone else had similar experiences?