Maidenhead teacher 'frustrated' by delays in getting medical driver's licence

A Maidenhead teacher struggling to get her medical driver’s licence has criticised the DVLA process for getting behind the wheel again.

After developing non-epileptic seizures in July 2023, Rachel Barnes had her licence revoked and was told she couldn’t reapply until she was seizure-free for three months.

Her last seizure was in February this year, and after hitting the three-month mark in May, she applied for a new licence with her medical evidence, expecting a response within six weeks.

However, more than 10 weeks passed until the DVLA finally informed Rachel they had contacted her GP for further notes – a process that could delay her medical licence further.

The DVLA says it sets a target of processing applications within three months, but this can sometimes take longer for more complex cases.

Nevertheless, Rachel feels she has been left in limbo while she waits for a response.

“I worked hard to get to the point where I was well enough to drive, and their radio silence adds to that frustration,” she told the Advertiser.

“In their leaflet, they say you should hear back in six weeks, and if it’s going to take longer, if they need to contact doctors, they will write to you. That’s false, they don’t do that.”

The Furze Platt resident has relied on lifts from family and friends as well as Uber to attend Claires Court for nearly two years.

“I do understand why it had to be that way – I didn't complain about it much while it was happening,” she said.

“But now I'm like, ‘Hang on, I've met your criteria, I should be able to drive now, I'm safe,’ but I still can't, so I'm still paying £40 a week on Uber to get to the places I need to go.

“We can't do as much, we can't enjoy family time out and about as much, because we have no method of transport.”

The 39-year-old didn’t receive any correspondence from DVLA after submitting her application, despite ‘escalating’ the issue twice.

She said being ‘stuck waiting’ for a response and the lack of a provided timescale added to her ‘isolation’.

Rachel added: “I'm facing a summer holiday with my two gorgeous girls, but I can't take them places and go places without significant additional cost.

“People like me are at the mercy of whenever they decide to look at [the application].”

Rachel learned later that ‘surrendering’ a license was an option, as opposed to ‘revoking it’, and believes DVLA instructions are unclear.

“I feel like no one realises this is the situation until they’re in it, and the DVLA are not being at all helpful,” she said.

People sharing their experiences on Twitter have waited anywhere between eight weeks and six months, but ‘nobody can get any answers as to how long it takes and what the reason is’.

Rachel wasn’t medicated for her seizures and said she ‘did a lot of work’ to return to a position to drive and believes the government body is ‘letting people down’.

“My eldest daughter was nine when this all started,” she said.

“She was upset because in the car we used to listen to music and have a chat, and now we can't because we're with other people or in an Uber.

“She had to do a lot of adjusting, and I thought it would be nice at the end of the year to take her into school, because I presumed it would be sorted.”

A DVLA spokesperson said: “When considering a driving licence application, we aim to make a decision as quickly as possible.

“However, more complex applications, including when we require additional information from a medical professional or from the driver themselves, can take longer, and we are wholly reliant on receiving this before a decision can be made.