[Dr Sham Mahmood]

Hi Dr Sham,

Regarding a patient unfit to drive, but who is still driving, if he says that he will inform DVLA and he does not, what will be our next step? Do we still need to check with DVLA after discussing with the patient?

Thank you

Mithilesh

[Dr Sham Mahmood]

Hi Mithilesh,

Thank you for your question. This ultimately comes down to whether the breach of patient confidentiality is in the best interests of safeguarding the wider public.

The MPS has a great article on this and they mention, “If you do not manage to persuade the patient to stop driving, or you discover that they are continuing to drive against your advice, you should consider whether the patient’s refusal to stop driving leaves others exposed to a risk of death or serious harm. If you believe that it does, you should contact the DVLA or DVA promptly and disclose any relevant medical information, in confidence, to the medical adviser. ”

The full article can be found here; https://www.medicalprotection.org/uk/articles/should-i-report-that-my-patient-is-unfit-to-drive#:~:text=If%20the%20patient%20will%20not,public%20interest%20justification%20for%20disclosure.

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