Hearing Aids

A friend of mine needed hearing aids but would not dream of using NHS ones so paid nearly £3000 for hers- more money than sense.

Hearing aids sounds so old fashioned. I call mine, my extra ears. Someone I know paid over a grand for some small pop in the ear ones but he could not control the sound?! Ended up not wearing them.

Hot mine last Thursday from Specsavers. No problems at all. They are set up on a computer depending on your hearing loss. Bird song has been a revelation! Wore 8 hours first day and then from getting up till bed time.

Boots has been brilliant for me Great service initially and great after service ..have been with them for 8 years and no complaints

I just stumbled upon this post and the pain of finding the right hearing aids is something I have found over the last few years. I tried Specsavers hearing aids but the time spent going back and forth refitting and trying different types has ended up costing me more than I thought.

I looked online and there's this place called yeshearing.com. They sent someone to my house to fit them for me and came back 3-4 times in the first couple of months to make sure it was alright. They are more expensive than NHS (obviously) but so much better than Specsavers I can't explain. I ended up buying the same pair as my husband who bought privately and they are even better.

We are not the wealthiest of folks and these hearing aids have cost me £1000 + However the big name brand ones in the long run are worth their weight in gold I have to say.

I would recommend trying them out or sending them an email I don't have it on me but they were very nice and professional and may be able to help.

A friend said her husband had to go to the NHS one for some reason he was 'special' but it transpired that the person he saw was the Specsaver one at their weekly hospital clinic! I think the tests are the same whichever you go to and probably the aids are too.

Everyone over the age of 55 is entitled to a free NHS hearing test. I have been told that some of the expensive private ones are not as good as the NHS ones.

In answer to some of the above, the batteries last longer if you switch them off at night when not wearing them. The aids beep when it is time to change the battery. I doubt you will ever adjust to them unless you wear them from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed. The external noise, like traffic, is very hard to cope with at first but you soon get used to it. The only time I take mine out is if I am in an echoing building with lots of people being loud.

In many areas, Specsavers acts as an agent for the NHS. Got mine there - took about a week to get appointment after GP referred me, ears tested, aids fitted and I walked out with them and have worn them ever since. Batteries are free. I have had no problem with them at all.

Cant' see the point of spending a fortune to go private as there is no advantage at all. I am amazed that people do it!

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will go down the NHS route first.

Just to add, Specsavers don’t provide NHS aids in Scotland.

My mother in law had hers from the NHS and didn't wait long. The staff were lovely and allowed either me or DH to go in with her for the examination due to her age. We could pick up batteries at the reception desk, manned by the WRVS at our local hospital.
Would recommend the NHS every time.

Boots and Specsavers are not an NHS option round here.

GP referred Mr C, he opted for the audiology department but could have opted for Specsavers as an NHS patient. I can’t recall the wait for assessment so it won’t have been overly long or I would remember. Adjustments occur via a walk in clinic held on two mornings a week. If a hearing test is needed the staff make a very quick appointment, usually come and check the date and time with me in the waiting room as I am the ‘social secretary’. Audiology in this area is excellent, why not give yours a try first?

DH and I both got NHS ones from Specsavers recently. We only had to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment with the Audiologist and the aids were provided there and then. The Audiologist offered both NHS and private ones but suggested we try NHS first and see how we get on. So far, so good, we've been impressed by the service and I'm very glad not to have to keep repeating things!

Private- Boots is excellent

But NHS ones are greatly improved so worth considering

DH's changes his batteries once fortnight. They are free on the NHS. He wears his all the time and got used to them pretty quickly by doing so.

Dh has been able to go back a few times to get them right.

The waiting list here isnt too bad - they seem to have made a correlation between deafness and social isolation.

I got mine from Specsavers, on the NHS, a few months ago.I'm getting used to them, but don'y wear them all the time.
From my point of view they help a lot in one to one conversations etc.
But make things worse in a crowded place if you're trying to keep up with what's going on.
Also if I wear anything else behind my ears, - glasses, hairband etc, - I sometimes knock off the hearing aid.
I have to change the batteries once a week with mine.

If you are unsure about getting an aid the best thing would be to try an NHS one first. You can then decide if you want something more sophisticated from Specsavers, Boots etc.

A couple of things to bear in mind.

The NHS can have long waiting lists for appointments.

If you choose to buy your aids the more expensive ones are not necessarily the smallest. They are dearer due to having better technology and more features.

I know Specsavers have good deals e.g 2 for 1, free aftercare/adjustments etc and I’m sure all other private providers offer the same. From experience I know that you can make an appointment to see a Specsavers audiologist to discuss your needs without obligation to buy.

But .......
......Some people find they cannot get on as well as hoped with an aid so it’s always a good idea to try a free NHS one first.

I hope that helps a bit.

Yes definitely NHS really pleased with mine even the batteries are free.Private hearing aids are very expensive.

On the NHS!

Ask your gp for a referral to the clinic and go from there!