West Midlands · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in Cannock Chase

Which doctor Cannock Chase will accept, how often you have to repeat it and which form they want. Councils disagree with each other on every one of those, so this is Cannock Chase’s answer and nobody else’s.

What Cannock Chase requires

• “requires that in no case shall the interval between medical assessments be longer than 5 years up to the age of 45, every 3 years between ages of 45 and 60 and then annually thereafter”
• How often: At first application, then at intervals set by the Council's medical advisor, but with a policy backstop: "in no case shall the interval between medical assessments be longer than 5 years up to the age of 45, every 3 years between ages of 45 and 60 and then annually thereafter". That THREE-TIER structure (5 / 3 / annual, breaking at 45 and 60) is unusual - most councils run 5-yearly to 65 then annual. The Council may also demand a medical at any time at the driver's expense where it has reasonable cause. Driver licences run 1 or 3 years
• Form: The council's own form is mandatory and there are TWO different ones, so a driver must pick the right one. New drivers use the "New Hackney Carriage/Private Hire medical form for CHC", which is a GP RECORD OF HEALTH questionnaire completed by the applicant's own GP and authenticated with the practice stamp; renewals use the "Renewal" form, which is a SELF-DECLARATION OF HEALTH completed by the driver alone with no GP involvement. Forms are also handed out at the Civic Centre reception, and you have to tell reception which approved medical advisor you intend to use
• Possible exemption: Not published. No HGV/PSV/PCV exemption appears in the policy, the factsheet or either medical form, and no explicit refusal either. The only PCV/PSV mention in the policy is an operator condition about using a minibus on a private hire booking, which is nothing to do with medicals. Note also para 2.41 - claiming a medical dispensation from the DRESS CODE or a medical exemption from CARRYING ASSISTANCE DOGS is done through the medical advisor during the Group 2 assessment; that is an exemption from other duties, NOT an exemption from needing the medical

Taken from Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver, Vehicle & Operator Licensing Policy, 1 June 2024 - paras 2.37-2.41 and 3.19-3.21, Assessment by the Council's Medical Advisor. Rules change and councils rewrite their pages without notice, so confirm before you book and pay. If something here is wrong please say and I will check it against the council and fix it.

How Cannock Chase compares

Of the 315 UK licensing areas checked so far, Cannock Chase is one of only 23 that insist on a provider of their own choosing.

Who may sign it elsewhere in West Midlands

Neighbouring authorities do not follow each other on this, and a certificate accepted in one is regularly refused in the next. Check the area whose badge you actually hold.

Licensing area	Who can carry out the medical
Coventry	Any GMC-registered doctor
Dudley	Your own GP only
Sandwell	Any GMC-registered doctor
Solihull	Any GMC-registered doctor
Stoke-on-Trent	The council does not say
Walsall	Your own GP only
Wolverhampton	Any registered doctor with your records
Birmingham	The council does it themselves
Nuneaton and Bedworth	Any GMC-registered doctor
Shropshire	Any registered doctor with your records
Telford and Wrekin	Any registered doctor with your records
Warwick	Only a provider the council names

What it costs to be licensed in Cannock Chase

The medical is one bill among several. See what Cannock Chase charges for the driver, vehicle and operator licences, taken from the same published sources.

Every line above is taken from Cannock Chase’s own published guidance and read by hand against that source. Nothing here is from trade press, a forum or an estimate. This is not medical or legal advice.

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