Doctors stress ‘fitness to drive’ importance

A COMBINATION of bad eyesight, memory loss, lack of concentration or high blood pressure are some of the more common reasons that patients are refused “fitness to drive” certificates by their GPs.

Doctors say that it is often a mixture of smaller medical problems which can pose a higher risk than more traditional and serious problems such as angina. They have warned however that it is up to patients to regularly check with doctors if any medication or illnesses could impair their ability to drive.

According to the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), many doctors have not received formal training on fitness to drive assessments even though it is a “bread and butter” issue for them in their working lives.

Everybody from housewives to commercial drivers can need a fitness to drive assessment at some stage, and particularly as they grow older.

The area will be discussed at a workshop given by ICGP health in practice director, Dr Andrée Rochfort and CIE chief medical officer, Dr Declan Whelan at the ICGP annual general conference in Galway this weekend.

“Every fitness to drive query requires a full assessment by a GP, even if they see the patient regularly. Often, patients expect you can sign the form in the waiting room but we can’t. We have to err on the side of caution in this respect,” she said.

Dr Rochfort also pointed out that patients should be aware of the effects of a particular illness and medication on their driving.

For instance, anti-histamines can make some people drowsy and therefore pose a driving risk whereas other users suffer no side effects. Older people also often need more regular assessments as their driving licences are valid for a shorter period than younger drivers.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Mary Harney tried yesterday to resurrect the stalled hospital consultant negotiation talks by pledging that her team would have full authority to discuss the issues blocking progress.

She was speaking at a meeting with the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA), where accident and emergency services along with contract negotiations were discussed.

IHCA Secretary General, Finbarr Fitzpatrick said the Health Minister’s pledge to give her team full authority to discuss all areas of the contract would be discussed at an IHCA council meeting over the weekend.

Under the proposals unveiled yesterday, hospitals will have to hand over a portion of annual funding if they don’t tackle the A&E crisis and maintain acceptable hygiene standards.

The targets state patients should not be on trolleys for more than 24 hours and that there shouldn’t be any more than 10 patients on a trolley at any one time.

It is expected the HSE will withhold about 2% of funding for the year if targets have not been met.