Letter: Missing out on motorhome through no fault of my own

In our retirement, part of our lifestyle is using our motorhome. The current one is over 3.5 tonnes and it means at 70 years of age I need to have a medical to re-new that part of my licence.

This is, in itself, a good idea, in effect giving the driver a health check.

Having been out of the country this year until April 14, I only had eight weeks to complete the process.

So I visited the local health centre to make an appointment. Like most people, I believe what I want to see the doctor for is personal and nothing to do with a receptionist. Eventually I was given an appointment request form to fill in.

Several days later, I received a telephone call asking for details of my request, the man did not know about medicals for driving licences, who paid for them or the cost.

About a week later a form arrived with a request that I pay £148 to enable them to look at giving me an appointment.

Wishing to maintain my licence I thought there was no other option, so I paid the bill.

I waited in vain for an appointment, that never came, so I asked for my money back.

They stopped 15 per cent as a service charge. With the weekly pension set at £110, how can they justify a charge of £148?

After all we are not talking about a private company, pensioners have paid for the NHS all their working life, isn't the wage the doctors receive under the system enough without them having to moonlight, or receive extra fees?

There must be a lot of pensioners who wish to enjoy the time they have left touring with a caravan or motorhome who are put off or held to ransom in the same way I have been.

I write to ask that this be looked into, to stop it happening in the future.

Peter W Breeze

Wellington