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Sleep Apnoea and the HGV Driver
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your input, it's much appreciated.
You were very lucky indeed to get sorted and back at work so quickly. The average length of time is around two years from first visit to diagnosis, which is dreadful. And that's before any treatment has begun. This unsatisfactory delay is central to my campaign.
The idea of the tired driver taking with him a printed copy of his Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Snoring Questionnaire, already filled in, should prompt the GP into giving the guy a referral at his first visit. This is what needs to happen.
For the DVLA, OSA is only a tiny proportion of the total applications they receive for consideration by their medical unit. So, in their view, what makes it so special that it needs to be fast-tracked? In my opinion, it will need a change in the law before this happens.
As I understand the medicals, you will need to undergo the D4 every five years; the annual medical because you have OSA will mean the DVLA requires proof from your sleep-clinic that you are compliant and your condition is under control. It is only the OSA they're interested in, nothing else, so a report from your consultant should be enough.
The D4 itself is something of a nonsense. You can take the D4 wherever you like, and there are any number of medical practices featuring a specialisation on this sector, and offering low-cost medicals into the bargain. (If you Google 'drivers medicals' you will see what I mean). You do not need to see your own GP.
There is nothing to stop a driver taking the cheapest medical. Most likely the doctor does not know the patient, does not have his medical history to hand and simply goes through the D4 from start to finish.
The D4 asks two questions: No.1 'Is there a history of, or evidence of, sleep apnoea syndrome? No.2 'Is there any other medical condition causing excessive daytime sleepiness?' This is a face-to-face consultation between a doctor and patient who have probably never met before; it is a medical exam., not a diagnostic session.
The doc. is relying on the driver's honesty and truthfulness, yet the driver needs to pass his D4 to carry on driving. So, when the doc. asks him if he has sleep apnoea, what is the most likely response? 'No, not me, doc.' He's probably never even heard of it.
The only time a driver is going to come across the term 'sleep apnoea' is with his D4 medical: when he first applies for a Class 2 licence and when he sits the five-yearly medical.
Each of us, regardless of trade or profession, is responsible for our own health.
In certain sectors, every help is given to an employee seeking healthcare or advice: in the transport industry the very opposite appears to be the case. No-one is compelled to become a truck-driver, so having chosen that career, it's a matter of taking the rough with the smooth, the advantages and disadvantages, good times and bad. But the transport industry should be more willing to take responsibility for the health and welfare of those who make the industry what it is.
Richard
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your input, it's much appreciated.
You were very lucky indeed to get sorted and back at work so quickly. The average length of time is around two years from first visit to diagnosis, which is dreadful. And that's before any treatment has begun. This unsatisfactory delay is central to my campaign.
The idea of the tired driver taking with him a printed copy of his Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Snoring Questionnaire, already filled in, should prompt the GP into giving the guy a referral at his first visit. This is what needs to happen.
For the DVLA, OSA is only a tiny proportion of the total applications they receive for consideration by their medical unit. So, in their view, what makes it so special that it needs to be fast-tracked? In my opinion, it will need a change in the law before this happens.
As I understand the medicals, you will need to undergo the D4 every five years; the annual medical because you have OSA will mean the DVLA requires proof from your sleep-clinic that you are compliant and your condition is under control. It is only the OSA they're interested in, nothing else, so a report from your consultant should be enough.
The D4 itself is something of a nonsense. You can take the D4 wherever you like, and there are any number of medical practices featuring a specialisation on this sector, and offering low-cost medicals into the bargain. (If you Google 'drivers medicals' you will see what I mean). You do not need to see your own GP.
There is nothing to stop a driver taking the cheapest medical. Most likely the doctor does not know the patient, does not have his medical history to hand and simply goes through the D4 from start to finish.
The D4 asks two questions: No.1 'Is there a history of, or evidence of, sleep apnoea syndrome? No.2 'Is there any other medical condition causing excessive daytime sleepiness?' This is a face-to-face consultation between a doctor and patient who have probably never met before; it is a medical exam., not a diagnostic session.
The doc. is relying on the driver's honesty and truthfulness, yet the driver needs to pass his D4 to carry on driving. So, when the doc. asks him if he has sleep apnoea, what is the most likely response? 'No, not me, doc.' He's probably never even heard of it.
The only time a driver is going to come across the term 'sleep apnoea' is with his D4 medical: when he first applies for a Class 2 licence and when he sits the five-yearly medical.
Each of us, regardless of trade or profession, is responsible for our own health.
In certain sectors, every help is given to an employee seeking healthcare or advice: in the transport industry the very opposite appears to be the case. No-one is compelled to become a truck-driver, so having chosen that career, it's a matter of taking the rough with the smooth, the advantages and disadvantages, good times and bad. But the transport industry should be more willing to take responsibility for the health and welfare of those who make the industry what it is.
Richard
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