Members should be aware that government have asked GPs to prioritise covid/booster vaccinations during January following the surge in the Omicron variant cases. This means that completion of medical proformas for FAC/SGC renewals may be delayed. We have written to FELWG asking them to ensure that no certificate holder is left in unlawful possession by police FLDs and that the automatic eight week extension is not affected. The issue of Sect 7 Permits will assist in those cases where renewal is about to over-run, but as they do not cover purchase of ammunition, issue of the certificate itself is preferable.

In these difficult circumstances we suggest that any renewal applications should be made at least four months in advance and your FLD kept fully advised of your medical proforma progress.

Grants may be suspended by some FLDs unless required professionally or in specific individual circumstances.

I also received the following from Medcert:

“We are aware of the situation and have been liaising with the FLDs. As you can imagine this on the back of the November 1 legislation, which is not being adopted across all forces, is leading to some interesting times. We are totally scalable so the increased numbers are not a problem, the legislation which we utilise to get the records, the SAR (FOI), is not affected. We are aware that the surgeries will obviously be slightly slower but we believe that the six week window is still possible for the vast majority of individuals.”

Members wishing to use Medcert are reminded that they offer a discount to HBSA members and are fully recognized by police FLDs

Please email any questions or issues to me at chairman@hbsa-uk.org

Best wishes

Derek Stimpson