Blue Badge Scheme
The Blue Badge Scheme enables people with a disabilty to park in disabled parking spaces. It is for people with a severe mobility problems. It also applies to those who are registered blind, who have severe disabilities in their upper limbs, and children under 3 years with specific medical conditions. The condition must be substantial and permanent and assessment considers areas such as gait pattern, speed, distance and pain levels.
In 2011 the government reformed the Blue Badge scheme. The reforms meant the transfer of the assessments for blue badge eligibility from GPs to independent mobility. The intention of this change was to move from a system where GPs are perceived as making these decisions about patients to one where, when necessary, GPs only provide facts for the local authority to use in their assessment. Providing factual information for a local authority is a collaborative arrangement function and is fee paid by the Area Team at the practice's rate.
There is more information on the Blue Badge Scheme area of the Department of Transport Website.
