Adult services and appointments

To arrange an appointment please contact us directly and we will allocate a date and time suitable for you. If you need to change or cancel your appointment please contact us as soon as possible so your appointment can be offered to someone else.

It would be helpful to bring any relevant information regarding your hearing and hearing aids. Also bring any hearing aids you have been fitted with in the past.

Please arrive with plenty time to find a parking space and walk to the department. If you are late for your appointment we may need to rebook for another day and time.

During the hearing assessment a number of tests and examinations are carried out that determines the levels you can hear, and the condition of your ears. This is usually carried out by an Audiologist and usually lasts 30-45 minutes.

An audiologist is a qualified professional who provides assessments for hearing problems and non- surgical treatments to help a person deal with hearing loss, such as providing a hearing aid.

• You will be taken into a sound proofed room
• We will ask you about your hearing problems and how well you feel you hear
• The audiologist will examine the condition of your ears by looking into your ear canals with a small light
• You will be asked to wear some headphones and listen and respond to sounds played through them
• You may have a test to measure how well your ear drum moves, this is a quick test that uses a small amount of pressure placed into the ear canal
• We will discuss the options available and how you would like to manage your hearing loss
• We will issue you an individual management plan; this is information from the assessment and includes a copy of your hearing test and future care plan

There can be a number of outcomes from the hearing assessment, based on the results and information you have given us.

• If you do not have a hearing loss you will be discharged from the audiology service
• If you have a hearing loss that is suitable for hearing aids a hearing aid fitting will be arranged. We will offer a choice of colours. The style will depend on your hearing loss
• If you have a hearing loss that is not suitable for hearing aids you may need a referral to another professional such as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist

A hearing aid fitting is an appointment to have new hearing aids loaned to you to help with your hearing loss. This is usually carried out by an audiologist and lasts around 30-45 minutes.

An audiologist is a qualified professional who provides assessments for hearing problems and non- surgical treatments to help a person deal with hearing loss, such as providing a hearing aid.

• The audiologist will examine the condition of your ears by looking into the ear canals with a small light
• The audiologist will select and program the hearing aids using a computer
• There will be a couple of tests performed called verification tests. Sounds are played from a speaker with and without hearing aids in your ears and this ensures they match your recent hearing test results
• The audiologist will instruct you on the controls, how to change the batteries, how to insert the hearing aid into your ear and how to keep them clean
• The audiologist will provide counselling to help you get used to the new sounds and new way of hearing
• We will issue you an individual management plan; this is information from the appointment and what future care we will provide

A hearing aid follow up appointment is usually arranged within 10 weeks of your hearing aid fitting. It is to check how you are managing with your hearing aids. This will be either with an assistant audiologist or an audiologist.

An assistant audiologist is a member of the audiology team who is trained in-house to help the audiologist and complete some of the more routine appointments. They will not be able to adjust the sound or programming of your hearing aid but can provide basic maintenance.

An audiologist is a qualified professional who provides assessments for hearing problems and non- surgical treatments to help a person deal with hearing loss, such as providing a hearing aid.

• We will ask you questions about how well you feel you hear with your new hearing aids and complete a short questionnaire with you
• We will listen to any concerns or problems and try to resolve them
• We can offer hearing counselling or signpost to other agencies/ suppliers of equipment for the hard of hearing
• We will explain future care and maintenance needs of your hearing aids. This will include how and where to obtain replacement batteries

We recommend that you arrange an appointment with the department every 5-6 months for routine maintenance.To view this information as a document or to print access our patient leaflet.