Driving restrictions

Pretty sure if you don't look after yourself you could end up in one! :lol:

puzzymunkle,
OP posed a valid question, your flippant reply was not warranted :thumbdown:
Can anyone tell him about job restrictions for T1's in this case?

Hi bud1wg

First off have you let your workplace know that you have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? If not you should...
Secondly regarding whether you can drive an ambulance is up to the DVLA you need to write to them or ring them and explain that you have been diagnosed with type 1, they will send you a form to fill out about yourself, once you have done that send it back asap... As te DVLA will contact your doctor and see if you are "well" enough to drive.. If you are seen to be "well" enoughtto drive they will issue you with a 3 year licence.

Also just some advise I was given by my nurse.. if you do get your licence then make sure you check you blood sugars before you drive and have a snack in the glovebox or something... If your levels are low don't drive until they are at a safe level..

I hope this helps... This is what happened when I told the DVLA I was diagnosed with type 1..

Best wishes

Kerry xx

Kerry-Michelle said:

Secondly regarding whether you can drive an ambulance is up to the DVLA you need to write to them or ring them and explain that you have been diagnosed with type 1, they will send you a form to fill out about yourself, once you have done that send it back asap... As te DVLA will contact your doctor and see if you are "well" enough to drive.. If you are seen to be "well" enoughtto drive they will issue you with a 3 year licence.

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I dont have the definitive answer but I believe there is more to it than the above, the above advice is correct for driving a car but the restrictions are higher for HGV and PSV drivers who are in charge of many people, they will only be granted a licence providing they have had no serious hypos in the last year, could be 6 months, like I said I dont claim to know the exact answers. Serious being defined as needing 3rd party assistance to help with a hypo.

For ambulance drivers it is different again as ambulance drivers have to be trained not only in driving but are responsible for the lives of the patients in their care and obviously hypos could be a serious problem due to decision making effectiveness in hypo situations.

There was a thread on here a year or so back about this very topic and im not sure how it was resolved and of course Brussels/EU have recently changed the criteria for driving and insulin dependency. Perhaps someone can find the previous thread for Bud1wg

Or perhaps contact the Ambulance service and ask to speak to someone in there recruitment or HR departments, Im pretty sure they will have the answer :thumbup:

Probably not.
There are 2 pages on the DIabetes UK website
The first says

DVLA guidance currently recommends that people with insulin-treated diabetes should not drive vehicles for which they hold a relevant licence under blue light (i.e. emergency service) conditions.

Many police, ambulance, fire and rescue services, supported by Diabetes UK and other representative bodies, believe that people with insulin-controlled diabetes should not face an automatic ban when it comes to driving under blue conditions, provided that they hold a relevant licence, an individual risk assessment has been made and they are fully supported to ensure their safety

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on another page they say

Recruitment and retention of people with diabetes in the police, fire and ambulance services should now be subject to individual medical assessment. .....

In some NHS Ambulance Trusts, there are also still restrictions in place on people with diabetes who wish to be ambulance crew. These restrictions are currently being challenged. There are also restrictions still in place for jobs that involve driving Large Goods Vehicles or Passenger Carrying Vehicles

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http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia ... _for_jobs/
This page wasn't updated in April as it should have been
Ass Sid says there was a recent change in the driving laws, I know that the European working group that advised on it t said that

Drivers with insulin treated diabetes mellitus should not drive emergency vehicles.
Another situation where any severe hypoglycaemia is also unacceptable is the driving of
emergency vehicles. Each time-delay (eg by hypoglycaemia) can have major influence on the
outcome of the victim(s) of the emergency (accident, fire, etc). Furthermore, because of the
“stress” involved during the driving of emergency vehicles it may mask the symptoms of
hypoglycaemia.
Therefore, the WG stated that drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus should not drive
emergency vehicles

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I don't know if this recommendation was implemented into EU legislation. In the UK consultation they didn't discuss it. (indeed they mentioned that it was outside the scope of the consultation)

I think Diabetes UK would be able to offer more recent advice.


If someone is already working for the ambulance services, there is a website originating from someone in the fire services (so the emphasis is mostly there) but which gives some info about the way various individuals in the emergency services have been able to challenge decisions by the various employers when they have developed T1.
(it's a bit rambling)
http://irfduk.net/a-not-so-short-history/
and on the same site there is a bit more info about how to get help for an appeal
http://irfduk.net/newly-diagnosed-what-next/

Bud1wg said:

Can I drive an ambulance with type 1 condition?

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Hello Bud1wg

Am wondering do you already work in a medic/health position?
Or are you thinking of applying for such a job/position as an ambulance driver?

Anna.

Hiya, I don't think you can but I could be wrong. I seem to remember reading that diabetics can not drive emergency vehicles due to the risk of hypo - wouldn't be too great if you had to pull over to treat a hypo when you had a severely ill patient on the back. As I said, I'm not 100% sure though.