Taxi Driver Online

I was told tonight that they look into your medical records/background, it says nothing of this in the paperwork I have, is this true?

Surprised they haven't asked you to undertake a medical - or at the very least ask you some questions - but as per usual each council goes about these things differently.

Is there anything on your council's website?

If not then try googling taxi medicals or similar and you should find something on it, but as I said each council's different.

Don't know what paperwork you have, but Newcastle-upon-Tyne's online driver's application form says in the guidance notes that you need a medical certificate from your doctor and there are a few related questions about medical conditions on the application form itself. The certificate the doctor has to complete and the related guidance notes comprise the last few pages of the form:

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/wwwfileroot ... p_form.pdf

That's more or less standard practice for driver's badges.

There's also stuff on there about the 'locality test' - which you were asking about - but that kind of thing doesn't usually provide any indication as to how difficult it actually is

There's also stuff about criminal records checks, but again it doesn't actually address the kind of questions you had about how councillors will actually consider your past record.

In Manchester we used to be able to have a medical anywhere. Several years ago they changed it to your own Doctor, who had access to your medical history. Seems reasonable.

That's how it should be, to many drivers are getting medicals done by other doctors who are making a quick quid and not looking into the drivers medical history.

So shouldn't any doctor be able to access your medical history if you authorise it?

I've seen a doctor four times in the last four years or so. Prior to that I hadn't been for years. My previous doctor had retired, so I saw a new one. Saw him twice, next two times he was away, so saw another one twice. He's now left the country. That was at least a couple of years ago.

If I needed a medical now I suspect any doctor in the country would be as suitable as the next if they had access to my medical history.

Unless you see the same doctor on a regular basis I don't really think it matters who you see.

One of the NHS systems was being set up to put everyones records on computer so that any hospital or doctor could access anyones medical history. I think it ran into problems.

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Grandad,

Cost billions, was cr** and binned by the Tories.

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IDFIMH

Indeed, the logistics of accessing medical records is certainly a problem as things stand.