Procedure Statement
This document outlines the Driving Licence Procedure within Coast Medic. This Procedure outlines employees’ on-going obligations to the Business in regard to the requirement for annual driving licence checks and the need for employees to notify the Business of a Notice of Intended Prosecution regarding driving offences or other changes in driving status.
2. Scope
This procedure applies to all eligible employees of the Business. It also applies to bank workers, volunteers or those who are authorised to drive a vehicle belonging to or on behalf of the Business (including leased and hired). All should comply with driving licence checks including employees who use their private vehicle on Company business claiming mileage expenses.
Any organisation who is working on behalf of the Business should have their own procedures in place for these checks which are auditable and agreed at the point of approval of contract.
3. Roles and Responsibilities
The Human Resources Department is responsible for keeping the provisions within this procedure in line with employment legislation, best practice people management principles and company guidelines.
Managers, HR staff and trade union representatives are responsible for providing advice and guidance to employees and external applicants on the application of this procedure.
Management and trade union representatives are responsible for bringing any mutually beneficial improvements to this procedure to the attention of the Business.
It is the responsibility of the Line Manager to ensure driving licence checks are completed for all individuals who they are responsible for.
It is the responsibility of staff employed by the Business, bank workers, volunteers or those who are authorised to drive a vehicle belonging to or on behalf of the Company to:
- Produce their driving licence as and when required.
- Inform their line manager of any Notice of intended prosecutions in writing.
- Inform their line manager of any outcome from prosecution including fixed penalty notices (i.e., SP30).
- Inform their line manager of any medical condition (including medication), deterioration of a previous known medical condition or any other reason why their driving capabilities may be affected.
4. Medical Fitness to Drive
The Business refers to the DVLA Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive to determine the criteria required to undertake driving on behalf of the Company. Group 1 medical standards apply to car drivers (category B) while the higher medical standards contained in group 2 applies to medium sized vehicles 3,500kg (category C1). The Business therefore requires all employees who drive ambulance vehicles that are classified (C1) or who drive vehicles under emergency conditions, to meet the DVLA Group 2 medical standards.
The Business has also decided that DVLA Group 2 medical standards apply to any employees or volunteers driving a patient carrying vehicle because of the same risks that are inherent to passengers should there be a medical condition that may impact upon the ability of the driver to drive safely.
You must inform the DVLA and your manager if any of the following medical conditions or events apply to you:
- Had an epileptic event (seizure or fit).
- Had sudden attacks or disabling giddiness, fainting or blackouts.
- Severe mental handicap.
- Any cardiac event.
- A pacemaker, defibrillator or anti-ventricular tachycardia device fitted.
- Diabetes controlled by insulin.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Any other chronic neurological condition.
- Any severe psychiatric illness or mental disorder.
- Dependence on or misuse of alcohol, drugs or chemical substances in the past 3 years (do not include drink/driving offences).
This is a non-exhaustive list and full details of medical conditions where this applies can be found from the DVLA’s at a glance guide to the current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive. (www.dvla.gov.uk)
If you have a medical condition previously reported to the DVLA that has become worse since your licence was issued or you develop a new medical condition as above, you must write and inform the DVLA of the change in your condition, as it may affect your fitness to drive. NB Failure to do so is a criminal offence.
5. General Principles
Failure to inform the Business of any circumstances that may affect their driving status could result in action being taken under the Disciplinary Policy.
No individual should drive any vehicle that their licence category does not cover or where a licence information code(s) indicates any restrictions on driving entitlement.
The European Driving Licence Regulations came into effect on 1 January 1997. Implications of these regulations for the Business relate to employees who have passed their test after this date and will be required to obtain a C1 driving licence to drive an ambulance in excess of 3,500kg.
Individuals who have had to undertake a separate test to obtain Category C1 (since 1/1/97) are also required to have a medical undertaken by their General Practitioner (GP) at age 45, then every 5 years up to the age of 65 and annually thereafter, in order to confirm ongoing fitness to undertake C1 driving. This is required in order to retain Category C1 on the driving licence and is the responsibility of the individual. GPs will charge for undertaking the medical and any such fee is not refundable by the Business.
Although medicals are not usually required by DVLA for other drivers, individuals are reminded of the need to ensure they are fit to drive within the role they are employed.
Anyone who has concerns about their fitness to drive should discuss this with the Duty Manager.
Under the New Drivers Act 1995 a driving licence is automatically revoked if the driver builds up six or more penalty points within two years of passing their first driving test. This includes any penalty points gained before passing the test, which are still valid. The driver will have to reapply for their driving licence as a learner driver and re-sit another driving test.
License Checking Process:
Driving licenses will be checked by the HR Department, as and when required or at least on an annual basis. License checks should be aligned with and carried out during the annual compassionate conversation.
A Driving License Declaration form should be completed for each member of staff and signed. The information on this form should be checked against the detail on the employee’s driving license and in conjunction with an on-line license check (see guidance notes appendix C). The driving license categories required for each role are listed in Appendix B.
As part of this process, if any concerns are highlighted then this should be discussed with the member of staff and, if required, clarified with Human Resources or Driver Training Team, or the DVLA.