Thousands of HGV drivers given bogus medical tests in the back of vans

Thousands of HGV drivers are thought to have received bogus medical tests done in lay-bys and motorway service stations while attempting to renew their license.

Doctors on Wheels promised "cheap medicals" by "fully licensed doctors" but was found to have unqualified staff signing people off as fit to drive lorries, buses and taxis – with consultations lasting minutes in the back of vans across the UK.

In the worst cases, trading standards investigators said one driver was given a "full pass" despite being "profoundly deaf" while another was "recorded as having perfect vision" despite having a glass eye.

Company director Andrew Eburne was convicted of fraud and given a four-year sentence.

Judge Huw Rees said the 51-year-old had "put profit before safety" as he played "a leading role" in "business dealings served to compromise public safety".

Trading Standards said Doctors on Wheels promised to do the tests for "just under £60", undercutting its competitors.

Three undercover investigators posing as wannabe lorry drivers turned up for medical tests, booked online and scheduled for the same time at three different locations across the UK in 2019.

They entered Doctors on Wheels vans in Swindon, Huddersfield and Leicester, where a member of staff in each conducted an eye test, blood pressure test and medical questionnaire with them.

But when they looked at their completed medical forms – each stated the person they'd just met in the van was the same doctor.

It appeared to confirm what the DVLA had suspected, that the Leicester-based firm was using a stamp - with a doctor's signature printed on it - to fraudulently process dozens of medical tests a day.

Covert recordings, taken by trading standards officers, also appeared to show Doctors on Wheels staff giving one patient the answer when she was unable to name the letters on an eye test chart.

On another occasion, Doctors for Wheels staff allowed a patient to take parts of their medical forms home to fill in themselves.

"People who were known to the DVLA as having health conditions were being signed off as perfectly fit," said Rhys Harries, who led the investigation for Swansea Trading Standards, who were the prosecutors in this case.

In order get a license to drive heavy good vehicles, drivers must complete a D4 medical.

These tests must be paid for privately – and conducted by a doctor registered by the General Medical Council.

All HGV drivers must complete a D4 before getting their license for the first time, while drivers over 45 must have them redone periodically to prove they are still safe to operate the vehicles.

Harries, who took part in the sting operation, said he'd deliberately booked his Doctors on Wheels test under a colleague's name to see if they'd check his identity – something that must be done to ensure people aren't cheating the tests.

"The staff member didn't take any form of ID," he said.

"She asked me a few questions, and within minutes I was out of there with [the paperwork] signed in my colleague's name."

Harries said the staff in the vans often claimed to be nurses, but investigators found only one was registered to work as a nurse in the UK.

Two doctors who worked for the company - and had their signatures printed on stamps - were also investigated by the General Medical Council.

Dr Adrian Mosescu was struck off by the GMC for his involvement – while Dr Ronald James had his registration suspended for 12 months. Criminal charges against both doctors were dropped.

Prosecutors told the court that the value of the fraud was £681,699 but said: "Many questions were simply not asked or answered."

"We will never know the true extent of the public safety aspect and issues caused."

Among other things, the tests are designed to ensure drivers can see the road properly and aren't likely to have a medical episode behind the wheel that puts them and other drivers at risk.

"I think [Eburne] was basically putting money in front of public safety," added Harries.

"That's what it is - a business earning money, undercutting competitors, and not following the rules."

Eburne, from Burbage, near Hinckley in Leicestershire, denied a charge of participating in a fraudulent business but was convicted at Swansea Crown Court in April and sentenced to four years on Friday.

Laura Phillips, defending, told the court that between 2007 to 2017 it was a business that had been operating legitimately "before it became dishonest".

"Mr Eburne fully accepts he has brought this on himself," she said.

She added the effect on him and his family "has been catastrophic."

Investigators found Drivers on Wheels had been causing so much concern that another driver medical test company had also tried to raise the alarm.

Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones said he'd started to see TrustPilot reviews suggesting Doctors in Wheels might be fraudulent, while conducting market research on rival businesses in 2018.

After booking his company's own mystery shoppers appointments with Doctors on Wheels he became concerned enough to raise the issue with the DVLA and Road Haulage Association.

The DVLA stopped accepting D4 medical reports from Doctors on Wheels following concerns in 2019.

"It was well known on an international basis that the worse the health of the driver the more likely they are to crash," said Charlesworth-Jones, chairman of the D4 Group.

"The road risk presented by drivers who aren't properly assessed is massive."

He said although it had been "a great achievement" to see the wrongdoing at Doctors on Wheels exposed, he worried about how many of its customers were still on the roads, using licenses obtained with paperwork from those tests.

Sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said these examinations should have been performed by qualified doctors and Eburne flouted the rules in a "brazen" manner.

"You were the founder and orchestrator of this dishonest system," he added. "You abused your position of responsibility".

The DVLA, which is based in Swansea, were alerted by a complaint about Doctors on Wheels from the General Medical Council in 2017.

After further DVLA enquiries, serious concerns were raised about how medical assessments were being carried out and they stopped accepting D4 forms from the company and the doctors involved from June 2019.

"We take road safety extremely seriously," a DVLA spokesperson said.

"After concerns were raised about Doctors on Wheels, our investigations found issues with how medicals were being carried out. We acted quickly to stop accepting their forms and referred the case for prosecution.

"This was a significant case to protect public safety and uphold trust in the licensing system."

Swansea Crown Court heard a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will be held in December.