The DVLA is warning that its ban on driver medicals from Doctors on Wheels is still in place, after it emerged this week that the blacklisted company is continuing to offer medicals to HGV drivers.
DVLA put the ban in place from 20 June this year, after it was alerted to concerns over the quality of D4 medicals being carried by the Leicester-based company. A D4 medical assessment is required for category C licence holders and includes medical and sight assessment tests.
DVLA reported its concerns to Trading Standards, which launched an investigation in June this year. The investigation included a series of police raids at the firm’s offices in Swindon, Leicester and Huddersfield.
However, despite the continuing DVLA ban and Trading Standards investigation into the company, Doctors on Wheels (DoW) is continuing to offer D4 medicals, according to its website.
A statement on the firm’s website says: “DoW temporarily suspended its operations, with effect from 20th June 2019, in the wake of a Trading Standard investigation which concerned the way in which DoW delivered its service.
“Those concerns were shared by DVLA, at whose behest Trading Standards started its investigation. DoW believes that some of those concerns were unfounded.”
It adds: “However, DVLA has been very clear about how DoW’s service should be delivered and DoW, for its part, is committed to providing a service which meets DVLA’s expectations.
“Accordingly, all D4 assessments undertaken by DoW’s GMC-registered medical practitioners will now be conducted in person rather than via Skype (with the assistance of nurses).
“DoW will, as before, offer a fully mobile service but its doctors will also carry out assessments at fixed locations.”
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Asked if the DVLA is now accepting D4 medicals from Doctors on Wheels, following these changes, a DVLA spokeswoman told motortransport.co.uk: “Our position is clear. It has not changed. We are rejecting D4s from Doctors on Wheels and will continue to do so.
"Our advice to drivers is not to use Doctors on Wheels. We have also made our position clear to Doctors on Wheels that we will continue to reject their D4 medicals.”
Trading Standards said this week it was continuing its investigations into the company.
According to Companies House, the directors of DoW are Beth and Jayne Eburne. Andrew and Steven Eburne are listed as persons with significant control at the business with the former owning more than a 50% stake in the company and the latter listed as owning more than 25% of the total shares of the company.
The company’s registered address in Leicester is shared by J Coates (HGV Services), an HGV driver training company also owned by Andrew Eburne and Steven Eburne.
Tom Cotton, RHA head of licensing and infrastructure policy, said: “RHA cannot stress too strongly the importance of D4 medicals. No one would ever want a repeat of what happened in 2014 in Glasgow, when previously ignored health issues resulted in a bin lorry driver collapsing at the wheel and killing pedestrians.”
