Audiology

The team carries out a thorough assessment in specially treated sound proof booths. We are able to refer directly to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant reducing delays in your diagnosis/treatment.

We can arrange referrals to other specialist services including adult cochlear implants and bone anchored hearing aids if required.

Anyone who is concerned about their hearing should contact their GP. If you would like to do a quick hearing check at home click here for an online hearing check from Action on Hearing Loss.

You can be referred to the audiology service by your GP for a hearing assessment and hearing aid fitting, if this is appropriate. In some cases we can perform the hearing assessment and fit the hearing aids on the same day.

If you have had ear problems in the past or do not meet the criteria to be referred directly to the service, you will be referred to see a consultant in the ENT department first. Your consultant may then refer you to the audiology service for hearing aids if required.

Digital hearing aids are fitted routinely for all patients. They are fitted to each individual’s needs via a computerised system that makes them unique to the wearer. Using up-to-date technology, counselling and questionnaires, we can develop individual management plans allowing us to create a pathway of care centred around the patient’s needs.

All patients who need hearing aids will be shown how to use and care for them, and will be given information on how to get used to wearing a hearing aid, how often to wear it and where to get replacement batteries. We appreciate this is a lot of information to take in so you will be given instruction cards and contact details should you have any problems.

For links to more information about using and maintaining hearing aids please click on the patient information tab.

It is important to ensure you are managing you hearing aid(s) well. Approximately eight weeks after you have received your hearing aid(s) you will have a follow up phone consultation. This appointment is used to re-cap information covered at your fitting appointment and to assess whether your hearing needs have been met. If a face to face appointment is required, this will be booked with you over the phone.

If you require general maintenance or adjustments to your hearing aid(s), you can contact the department via phone or email and request a phone consultation for advice or a face to face appointment for adjustments (please see link for repairs on details page).

Depending on the type of hearing aid you have, your hearing aid tubing will need to be changed every three to six months. Your audiologist will give you more details about this at your fitting appointment. Tubing can be posted out with instruction on how to attach or an appointment can be booked if you have difficulty.

Replacement batteries are provided via a postal service. These can be requested either via email or phone (please see link for repairs on details page. If you are attending audiology for an appointment, batteries can be requested on the day.

If you lose your hearing aid, you will need to contact the department via phone or email and an audiologist will explain how to arrange a replacement hearing aid. An appointment will be made and. You will be asked to complete a form detailing the loss of the aid. You may incur a charge of £60 per hearing aid. This is to cover the administration costs of replacing your hearing aid. Exemption from charges is based on individual cases.

Individuals with complex needs sometimes require additional or alternative intervention. This can include longer appointment times for more extensive counselling or alternative methods of testing and treating a more complex hearing loss.

These individuals are not always able to follow our routine adult care pathway. In these instances you will be referred to the Complex Adults Team (CAT).

There are three main categories that would suggest you require a specialist care:

1. Hearing loss complexity. Examples include profound, asymmetrical or steeply sloping hearing losses.
2. Conditions which are co-existing or cofounding. This means adults with learning disabilities, neurological disorders or dementia.
3. Poor outcomes following routine adult intervention. Examples include individuals who are frequently attending Audiology for hearing aid adjustments without the expected improvement.

Presentation of these issues may arise at any point in the care pathway, whether at receipt of referral, initial assessment, hearing aid fitting or follow up. If a member of staff has identified a patient as non-routine or complex, they will take the necessary steps to ensure the patient is seen by the relevant clinician on a Specialist Adult Rehab clinic.

Tinnitus is a condition where noises are heard in one or both ears. These noises can range from whistling or buzzing to songs or machinery. Referrals would normally come via ENT, however if there are no other ENT symptoms, we can accept direct referrals from your GP. We offer advice, support and equipment to help you manage your tinnitus more effectively. Please see the Patient information tab for more information about tinnitus

Referrals are received from GPs, health visitors, school nurses, speech therapists and paediatricians.

A paediatric audiologist will ask you and your child questions about their hearing and will examine their ears.

An age appropriate test will be chosen to assess your child’s hearing by one or two audiologists.

Behavioural testing is normally carried out, where we teach your child to listen and respond to a sound via an action or motion. This is usually done by playing a game. This helps to keep your child engaged in a natural and comfortable way.

The results and further action required, including a future appointment if necessary, will be fully explained to you on the day of your appointment.

If your child requires a hearing aid, they will be referred to us via an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) consultant.

A full assessment will be carried out as above and the most appropriate digital hearing aid will be selected for your child.

You and your child will be given full instruction on how the hearing aid works, how to care for the aid and what to do should you be having any problems.

Hearing Aid Review:

We provide regular follow ups for your child within the first few months of their hearing aid fitting.

Once your child is comfortable and settled with their hearing aid, they will then receive a regular review.

Should any problems arise between your hearing aid review dates, please contact the department via phone or email to make an appointment (please see Repairs link on Details page).

If your child attends school in the Sandwell area, they will receive a hearing screen when they are in reception. A letter will be sent home to inform you of the hearing screen and you can confirm whether you wish for your child to be tested. If a hearing problem is highlighted, the relevant referrals will be made and you will be informed.

Getting used to your hearing aid:

• At first your hearing may sound echoey, tinny and hollow.
• It is natural to feel that your own voice sounds louder than it should do in the first few weeks.
• It can take up to eight weeks to fully adjust to your new hearing aids.
• Try to wear your new hearing aids on a daily basis. Ideally, wearing them all day would be beneficial.
• If you struggle to adjust to wearing your hearing aids, find a routine that suits you. Examples include:
  1. Wear for two hours in the morning, then afternoon and then evening for the first couple of weeks.
  2. Wears for one to two hours at a time taking comfort breaks of approximately one hour and then repeat. Try and reduce comfort breaks as each week passes.
  3. Wear in the house for the first one to two weeks and then slowly introduce your hearing aids to the outside environment.
• It is natural to feel overwhelmed. Having your hearing back can be an exciting but also strange experience. Your audiologist will offer advice, counselling and tactics to help you acclimatise.

Instruction sheets for our adult hearing aids are available on the following link. Translations are also available in Arabic, Bulgarian, Mandarin, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.

Birmingham and District Tinnitus Group
Birmingham District & Tinnitus Group | Don’t Suffer From Tinnitus Alone (tinnitusbham.org.uk)

National Deaf Children’s Society
ncds.org.uk

Newborn Hearing Screening Programme
http://hearing.screening.nhs.uk/

If you need help or advice regarding special equipment in the home (e.g. telephones and smoke alarms) or at work please contact the following services according to where you live:

Sandwell Council
Email: sandwell_enquiry@sandwell.gov.uk
Call: 0121 569 2266

Birmingham City Council
Request an online referral form and message form by calling: 0121 303 1234 or emailing: CSAdultSocialCare@birmingham.gov.uk