What to expect...

• A hearing assessment appointment may take between 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• The audiologist will take a medical history and ask you about your hearing in different situations.
• The audiologist will check your ears for wax, infections or any other abnormalities.
• You will have a hearing test, which involves wearing a pair of headphones and pressing a button whenever you hear a sound
• Tympanometry may be performed after the hearing test. This procedure looks at the condition of the middle ear and ear drum. The audiologist will place a soft tip in your ear and you will feel a slight change in pressure.
• The audiologist will explain the results and, based in these and the information you give us, will tell you if you are likely to benefit from a hearing aid.
• You might be referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat department for further investigation by a specialist doctor.
• All our hearing aids are digital and are available free of charge. The audiologist will recommend the most suitable aid for your hearing level.
• Open fit hearing aids consist of a hearing aid that sits behind your ear and a soft plastic dome and thin tube that goes in your ear canal. This type of hearing aid is best suited to patients that have a mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
• Mould fit hearing aids consist of a hearing aid that sits behind your ear and a mould which is made for the shape of your ear. This type of hearing aid is best suited to patients that have a moderate-to-profound hearing loss. The audiologist will take an impression of your ear and a specialist laboratory will use this to make your ear mould. It may take up to six weeks for this to get made.

Medical Questionnaire: Pre-appointment questionnaire (ph edit)

• A hearing aid fitting appointment may take between 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• If you are being fitted with an ear mould the audiologist will make sure that this is comfortable in your ear.
• An appropriate hearing aid that covers the power range for your hearing will be selected, and will be adjusted according to your hearing test. Each aid will be tailored to the individual so you may not have the same programs or settings as someone else.
• Please tell the audiologist if there is anything you do not like about the sound you are getting from the hearing aid(s). It might need some adjustments, or you may just need to give yourself some time to get used to the new sound.
• The audiologist will explain the different controls on the hearing aids(s), how to change the batteries and how to keep them clean.
• We will show you how to use the hearing aid with the telephone and how to put it in and take it out of your ear.
• We will give you a stock of spare batteries and information on our hearing aid maintenance service.

• Generally we will need to reassess your hearing every three and a half years. You will need to tell your audiologist when you are ready for a reassessment. If you notice a significant deterioration in your hearing before this time please tell your GP or audiologist. If you experience a sudden loss of hearing seek immediate medical advice.
• A reassessment appointment may take between 45 minutes to 1 hour. The audiologist will check your ears for wax, infections or other abnormalities. You will then have a hearing test, which involves wearing a pair of headphones and pressing a button whenever you hear a sound.
• The audiologist will explain the results and if we have copies of your past hearing tests, we will be able to see whether or not your hearing has changed. We may not have your old results if you have moved from another part of the country or if you have not come to the audiology department for a very long time.
• Based on the results of the test and on the information you give us, the audiologist will update your hearing aid provision as necessary. This might mean altering the settings on your current hearing aid, switching you over to a different hearing aid, making a new earmould, or suggesting that you try a hearing aid in your other ear if you currently wear only one.
• If the audiologist feels not enough can be done for you just with hearing aids, they might discuss with you whether you would like to be referred to somebody else as well. For example, social services can help some people by providing them with extra loud doorbells or flashing smoke alarms. Sometimes we also need to refer people to the Ear, Nose and Throat department for further investigation by a specialist doctor.

• A hearing aid follow-up appointment can take up to 30 minutes.
• This may include fine-tuning the settings or volume of your hearing aids, discussing your progress since being fitted and offering additional guidance on how best to optimise your fitting. The audiologist will also check your ears for wax, infections or other abnormalities.

• A hearing aid repair appointment can take up to 20 minutes.
• These appointments are performed by our technician team who can: re-tube your hearing aids, change thin tubes or domes, take impressions for new ear moulds, offer guidance about wearing and maintaining your hearing aids as well as check your ears for for wax, infections or other abnormalities. They can also help with feedback (whistling) from your hearing aids and help to try and resolve this.

Please note: these appointments do not include a hearing test and our technician team are unable to fine-tune the volume of your hearing aids.

If wax has been identified as needing to be removed during any your appointments, you will be advised to seek guidance from your GP surgery (our Audiology Department does not currently offer a wax removal service).