Frequently asked questions

If you feel you are having problems with your hearing then make an appointment to see your GP He or she may be able to treat your hearing loss or they may refer you to see an Audiologist for a hearing assessment.

For more information read our Hearing / hearing loss page.

Please use olive oil drops every night for a week and then see your GP to request them to remove the wax. They will select the appropriate method of wax removal.

For more information read our Hearing / hearing loss page.

Details can be found on our Tinnitus / hearing therapy page.

Details can be found on our Lipreading Classes / BSL courses page.

Details can be found on our Lipreading Classes / BSL courses page.

• Communication Tactics information leaflet
• See communication/listening equipment

For more information read our Adult hearing services page.

We normally recommend getting your hearing retested every 3 years as hearing loss is usually a very gradual process. Please contact us to book an appointment and we can arrange this appointment with you if it is 3 years or more since your last hearing test. However in exceptional circumstances your hearing might decline more rapidly, if this is the case you would need to see an audiologist for a repair appointment first to make sure the hearing aids are working as they should be.

For more information read our Adult hearing services page.

No, your hearing is likely to naturally deteriorate over time but wearing a hearing aid won’t make it worse. If anything it is good for your hearing pathways in the brain to remain active.

However do not wear your hearing aids in any environment where you should be wearing ear defenders. For more information on this please see protecting your ears from noise.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

If you have lost your hearing aid please make an appointment for an impression of your ear to be taken. Please note we will need your ear to be completely clear of wax for this appointment. If you have any old ear moulds please bring them with you and we might be able to replace the hearing aid at that appointment.

There is a charge of £50 for a lost or damaged hearing aid. Please read our lost and damaged aids policy.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

Most of our hearing aids have the option of a loop system on them. If you have not got this or would like it activated please make an appointment.

If you think your hearing aid has the loop but you are unsure how to use this or what it does, please make an appointment.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

If your hearing aid is whistling it may be for one of the following reasons:

• Your earmould may not be in properly, if this is the problem you may find that it is uncomfortable. Also your hearing aid may fall out. If you are unsure whether you are putting your earmould in properly, please see an Audiologist for advice.
• There may be wax in your ears, please have your ears checked by your GP before arranging an appointment to see an Audiologist.
• Your earmould may need replacing; these do shrink over time and this can cause the hearing aid to whistle. Again, your ears will need to be clear of wax before we can take a new impression of your ears.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

Batteries are provided free of charge and can be picked up by you or someone else on your behalf. Please note that you will not be given batteries without your battery book. Remember to switch the hearing aid off when you are not using it in order to save the battery.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

You should have received an instruction leaflet when your hearing aid was fitted but if not please get in touch and we will send you one in the post. If you are having problems with your hearing aid and would like someone to go through the controls with you then please make an appointment.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

All our hearing aids and batteries are provided free on the NHS. However they remain the property of the NHS and if they are lost or damaged there is a charge of £50. Please read our lost and damaged aids policy.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

In most situations we would recommend wearing two hearing aids. There are a number of advantages to this including improved hearing in groups and noisy places and being able to tell where sound is coming from better. However not everyone is suitable for two hearing aids and your audiologist will advise you on this. If you have chosen just to go for one we can always fit you up with a second hearing aid at a later date.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

There are a number of things that could be causing this so please contact us for an appointment. Please specify this as the problem when booking as we may need to file the mould and we do not have the equipment to do this at all our clinics.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

Please ring us and we can post you out a new one.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

No, we are able to recycle your batteries for you but please feel free to recycle them yourself at any battery recycling points or in your household recycling.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.

Digital hearing aids with many of their automatic settings are designed to prioritize speech (as is their main function). Therefore, anything they deem as background noise such as music will often become altered (sometimes described as distorted) in order to try and always maximize speech intelligibility. Our hearing aids do offer the option of a ‘Music HD’ programme. You can request this to be added via a face-to-face appointment in Audiology by calling the booking number and discuss this further with an Audiologist.

For more information read our Hearing aids page.