Fees
The fee for General Practitioners increased from the historic rate of £40 to £50 on 01 January 2026. It will rise further to £62.50 on 01 April 2026, with the same fee payable for all completing doctors. Additional increases, aligned with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) will take effect on 01 April 2027 and 01 April 2028, capped at 5%.
These fees have not increased since 2012, which demonstrates the challenge in maintaining the value of GP remuneration from external agencies, and particularly the Government, over time. This agreement does take into account (from April 2026) the impact of CPI since 2012 but obviously the cost of delivering services within General Practice has risen by more than this because of a disproportionate inflationary increase in expenses, particularly staff costs.
Medical Reports
Completion of DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) medical reports remains non-contractual, that is, it is not required under GPs Primary Medical Services (GMS/PMS) contracts and therefore colleagues can decide their approach to such requests, noting that, for many patients, being able to drive remains a key component of their lives. Practices should consider current, uplifted fee rates, their capacity to undertake private work and an appropriate timescale to respond to such requests. Under the revised fee arrangements, the DVLA will be recommending a response time of 4-6 weeks.
As now, when applying for a new or continuing driving licence, the DVLA process includes obtaining permission from patients for their GP to be contacted if it is necessary for further medical information to be provided before a licence is issued by the DVLA. Colleagues should also note the BMA is not able to control any correspondence or online information given by the DVLA to patients and therefore this may be framed by the DVLA in a way that represents their expectation of what services are available from GP practices.
The DVLA does not operate a “payment in advance” payment system and although DVLA fees are negotiated with the BMA, they do not constitute statutory fees which cannot be altered. Colleagues can therefore still contact the DVLA to request a different fee but unless there are exceptional circumstances, particularly given the uplifted rates, it is unlikely that the DVLA will agree.
The BMA Professional Fees Committee has taken legal advice on whether patients could be charged directly either as a substitute for or a supplement to the DLVA fee; currently the wording within the Road Traffic Act 1988 cannot be considered flexible enough to allow NHS GPs to charge their patients directly and the LMC does not recommend attempting to do so.
The LMC advises colleagues that GPs are not required to provide an opinion confirming that a patient can or cannot drive and should not do. The statutory decision on whether a license is issued, and fitness to drive within any restrictions in that license, lies with the DVLA. This is based on DVLA assessments and may include factual information obtained from the patients GP. Responsibility for driving safely driving is that of the individual driver.
There is a significant amount of information available for GPs from the DVLA; it is the DVLA medical section who make a final decision on a person’s fitness to drive but many patients will consult their GP (or in some cases their family will instead) for their advice.
Section 88
One issue that has caused colleagues some concern in terms of their role is Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act. This allows drivers to continue to drive legally even without a current driving licence available, if they have applied for a renewal or (in some circumstances) a new licence and the DVLA is still processing the application. It is unlikely that the wording or operation of Section 88 will be amended anytime soon to better suit General Practice. Section 88 exists to define when a driver may continue to drive whilst the DVLA is processing an application, it does not transfer responsibility for that decision to a GP. Where patients are seeking advice on whether they can drive while waiting for a DVLA decision, practices may find it helpful to signpost patients to the DVLA leaflet: “Can I drive while my application is with DVLA?”
You may also find the link for Medical Fitness to Drive Consultancy helpful, which provides further advice for drivers on Section 88.
Colleagues should rely on the DVLA’s own published guidance when responding to queries in terms of whether a patient in this situation has any medical conditions which may affect their fitness to drive. If they have, then they should not be advised they can drive by their GP as this is the opinion the DVLA will provide.