Hearing Therapy
Hearing Therapy appointments are for people who may be having
difficulty managing their hearing loss, and would benefit from
emotional support and advice. Advice may include technical
information about additional listening devices that could be useful
for hearing better in different situations specific to your needs.
Specialists are also able to give information about further
services that may be helpful for you.
Download our Hearing Therapy patient leaflet.
Frequently asked questions
Why might I need a hearing therapy appointment?
Hearing Therapists help people with an acquired hearing loss.
Hearing Therapists are trained to support people in maximising the
ability to manage their hearing loss in many different
situations.
There are many possible causes of hearing loss. A temporary
hearing loss may be due to a cold, wax or an infection. A permanent
hearing loss may be due to genetics, noise exposure, disease,
medications or age. Many people, as they get older, develop
age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) and may benefit from using
hearing aids. Your GP has referred you to us for help with your
hearing. The referral to Hearing Therapy may have come from the
Audiologist you have already seen or direct from the ENT department
(Ear, Nose and Throat).
What preparation do I need to do?
Before your visit if you have any special communication
requirements please contact us as soon as possible, i.e. if you
require a specific interpreter/British Sign Language (BSL) or other
please let us know.
During your visit, you may be asked about your hearing history.
If you do require a hearing aid you may also be asked some
additional questions about your ability to hear in some everyday
situations. We will also ask about any other situation in
which you have difficulty and where it is important for you to
hear. It would be very helpful if you could consider what your
answers to the questions might be before your visit.
Can I bring someone with me?
If you would like to be accompanied by a friend, relative or
carer we would welcome this. It can be very helpful having someone
with you for extra support. It can make all the difference to
putting all the information into practice and we would recommend
this wherever possible.
Who will I see for my hearing appointment?
You will see a qualified hearing specialist called an
Audiologist/Hearing Therapist. They will be registered with either
the Health Professionals Council or the Registration Council for
Clinical Physiologists. These are the organisations responsible for
ensuring that all Audiologists/ Specialists are competent and
appropriately trained. As a teaching hospital you may on occasion
have a student Audiologist/Clinical Scientist present on a clinical
placement with us from their University. If you prefer not to have
a student present then please inform us prior to your appointment
date to enable us to schedule accordingly.
What happens during the appointment?
Hearing Therapy is a talking therapy where we will assist in
whatever way we can and refer onto other relevant agencies on your
behalf as agreed with you.
Additional equipment may be recommended to support your needs
both in work and at home and we can advise on this.
The specialist may examine your ears using an otoscope.
Sometimes it is necessary to do further tests. The specialist will
explain these to you at the time should this be necessary. Should
hearing aids be beneficial for you this will be discussed and the
best option moving forward put into action. When the
tests are completed, the specialist will explain the results to you
and discuss the options that you have. This might be a
referral onto ENT or back to your GP or other agencies as
appropriate.
What happens next?
Following your appointment a report detailing the outcome and
discussions will be sent to the referrer/GP/ and others as agreed
(please inform us if you require a copy).
You may be asked to follow a program of self-management.
Information and advice will be given regarding this.
A further appointment will be offered as appropriate.
What if I can't find the answer to my questions on this
website?
If you have questions not answered here please don't hesitate to
contact us for further information.
Telephone:0117 342 5854
Email: audiology.dept@uhbw.nhs.uk
We welcome any comments or feedback about your appointment, as
this helps us make changes to patient care.
Please note emails sent to Audiology.dept@uhbw.nhs.uk are
insecure.
