Adult Audiology Service

If you are over 55 and have an age-related hearing loss, a community provider will see you. Please ask your GP for details.

Services we provide

We provide:

• hearing assessments and hearing aid fittings for non-routine adults with hearing difficulties
• hearing therapy including tinnitus management
• vestibular assessment
• complex diagnostic assessments
• hearing aid repair for individuals under our care.

Accessing our service

We care for adults with complex hearing and/or balance issues only.

If you are aged 55 or over and have age-related hearing loss, a community provider will care for you - you can self-refer or ask your GP. Your GP will have a list of community providers. The community provider can refer you back to Oxford University Hospitals if this becomes necessary.

If you were under our care for hearing aids before, and now meet the criteria above, please self-refer to a community provider, or we can send you details before your next hearing aid reassessment.

If your GP is outside Oxfordshire (e.g. Brackley) however, this does not apply - please speak to your GP about accessing services at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Age-related hearing loss

Typical age-related hearing loss is a gradual increase in difficulty hearing, over months and years, that affects both ears to a similar extent.

Seek a GP appointment if:

• your hearing has changed suddenly (request an urgent appointment)
• one ear is significantly worse than the other
• you are experiencing pain, swelling and/or discharge from the ear(s)
• you are aware of noise in your head or ear(s) (tinnitus) that is bothersome (significantly affects your sleep, concentration or mood)
• you are aware of tinnitus that is always louder in one ear, even if it is not bothersome.

Hearing aid repair

September 2023

We regret that we no longer operate drop-in clinics for hearing aid repair.

However, please contact us and we can send you any spare parts you need by post.

Email: adult.audiology@ouh.nhs.uk

Email is best as the phone line becomes very busy at peak times.

Tel: 01865 234585

If you have a faulty hearing aid, we offer an enhanced postal repair service.

Please post your hearing aid with your name, address and a brief description of the issue in a padded envelope by recorded or tracked delivery to:

Audiology Department
Level LG1 West Wing
John Radcliffe Hospital
Headley Way
Oxford OX3 9DU

We will aim to repair and return your hearing aid within seven working days, but please allow up to 14 days turnaround.

Please send us your hearing aid by recorded or tracked delivery; there is a charge of £110 to replace any hearing aids lost in the post en route to us.

If the issue cannot be appropriately fixed via the postal service, we will contact you by email or telephone to book a face to face repair appointment.

Batteries

Batteries for NHS hearing aids are available free from most health centres and surgeries, or by posting the hearing aid record book or card and used batteries to the Audiology Department at the above address.

Links

Resources | Links | Adult Service