PCO Medical Check – Where & How To Book
PCO Medical Check.
As part of your application to become a PCO Licensed Minicab or Chauffeur Driver in London you will have to prove your fitness by undertaking a PCO Medical Check with a GP who will give you the same medical as drivers of large goods vehicles (LGV/HGV), buses and coaches (PCV/PSV) which is the DVLA Group 2 standard.
Please note, this cost is not covered under the NHS and you could end up paying anywhere between £50 & £160 for this examination. The requirement is that you have to use a qualified GP that has access to your full medical history.
It’s advisable to make the Medical Examination your priority as soon as you have your application forms, this way if a problem does arise and you fail the medical then you won’t have wasted time and money on other elements of the application process. If you’re unsure please give us a call. Click here to read more about our Medical Package.
What does the PCO Medical Check involve?
Once you’ve booked your appointment take along your PHV/204 form which is included in the application pack and head to your chosen GP’s surgery. You should already have filled out the first section of this form marked ‘to be completed by you’. The examination will only take around 30 minutes and you will be asked questions about the following topics:
- cardiovascular
- endocrine system
- musculoskeletal
- neurological
- psychiatric
- vision
Based on your answers and your Medical Records the doctor will give opinion as to whether you satisfy the DVLA Group 2 medical standards and they will complete the remainder of the PHV/204 form, sign it, and put their surgery stamp on it. You will then need to send this form back with your PCO licence application
Which medical conditions could effect my PCO application?
There are no definitive yes or no’s to what what medical conditions could prevent you from passing the required medical fitness requirements but if you have any of the ailments listed below then it’s highly likely that your PCO licence application will be refused:
- Epilepsy
- Insulin treated/insulin dependant diabetes
- Monocular or poor vision
- A progressive degenerative illness
- A history of alcohol or drug abuse
- A history of mental illness or severe mental handicap
- A physical disability which might impair the ability to discharge the requirements of a vocational driver
- Heart problems
- Neurological or neurosurgical disorders (.e.g strokes, blackouts, head injuries)
- Certain prescribed medications.
Please be aware that if some of your condition(s) were in the past then you may still pass this examination e.g. if you have had a stroke over a year ago and as long as there are no residual impairments you may be ruled fit but each case is dealt with on an individual basis. It’s worth consulting your GP about this and undergoing the medical fitness examination prior to progressing further.
Who is exempt from doing the PCO Medical Check
If you are a licensed London hackney carriage (taxi) driver, hold a current DVLA group 2 licence (on the new photo-card license as category “D”), or are actively studying the knowledge (and are under 45 years of age), you will not be required to undergo a further medical.
If you hold categories C,CE & C1E on your licence you are exempt from undergoing a further medical.
If you have either category C1 or C1E on your licence AND it was applied to your driving licence after 1997 you are exempt from undergoing a further medical.
Medical requirements for applicants aged 45 and aged 65 and over.
If you are aged 45 or over and you are completing an application to apply for the renewal of your licence you must undergo a further medical examination and it is required that you have a further form TPH/204 completed. A medical examination will need to be undertaken at each subsequent renewal of your licence between the age of 45 up to the age of 65.
If you are age 65 or over you will also (as a condition of licence issue) be required to undergo annual medical examinations, during the currency of your licence.
DVLA Group 2 Medical Standards Changes in Standard of Visual Acuity.
In 2012 the DVLA revised the visual acuity standard for holders of Group 2 licences. The new standard is as follows:
A visual acuity, using corrective lenses if necessary, of at least 6/7.5 in the better eye and at least 6/12 in the other eye. The uncorrected visual acuity in each eye must be at least 3/60.
Where glasses are worn to meet the minimum standards, they should have a corrective power of less than or equal to +8 dioptres.It is also necessary for all drivers of Group 2 vehicles to be able to meet the prescribed and relevant Group 1 visual acuity requirements.In assessing whether an applicant for a taxi or PHV driver’s licence is medically fit, TfL has regard to the medical standard that would apply in relation to a DVLA Group 2 licence. Therefore any applicant applying for a taxi or PHV driver’s licence after 31 October 2012 will be required to meet the new Group 2 standard.
Drivers who were originally licensed under lower standards are allowed to retain these entitlements under ‘grandfather rights’. The standard applied is determined by the date a PHV driver was first licensed or when a taxi driver was accepted onto the Knowledge of London. Retaining this entitlement is dependent on:
the driver remaining continuously licensed since he or she was first licensed; there being no significant deterioration in any other aspects of the driver’s vision; the driver not having been involved in an accident in the preceding 10 years, in which their eyesight might have been a factor; and the driver meeting all of the current Group 1 acuity standards. The Group 2 standards are set out in full in the DVLA publication ‘At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive’ that can be found at www.dft.gov.uk/dvla.
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