Hearing services for adults
Adult NHS Hearing aid service
The NHS provides hearing aid(s) on loan for patients with a hearing impairment. Batteries are provided free of charge. The hearing aid(s) are yours for as long as you require them, but they do remain the property of the NHS. The hearing aid will be repaired or replaced if it stops working. There may be a charge of £65 to replace a lost hearing aid.
Hearing aid maintenance and repair information can be found on this page.
How to make an appointment
If you’re having difficulty with your hearing you should first seek advice from your GP surgery. Your GP surgery will ask you questions about your ears and your hearing. You may then have an appointment with your GP surgery or with an Audiologist. This appointment will be to have your ears checked for things such as wax and determine if the difficulties you are experiencing are the result of a hearing loss, which may benefit from some assistance. Options available to help with your difficulties will then be discussed, including hearing aids if wanted.
Patients who already have hearing aids from Swansea Bay University Health Board can directly access the Audiology service without a GP referral.
Contact details for audiology are on this page.
Timeline of appointments
For your first appointment you will be seen by an audiologist who will begin the hearing assessment by completing a medical history and asking you questions about your ears and hearing. They will also discuss the current difficulties that you are having and ask you about specific situations where you have noticed you are not hearing so well. The audiologist will examine your ears and will perform tests including a hearing test. The results of the tests will be explained and possible options discussed with you.
If needed and you would like hearing aids, then your next appointment will be to fit you with behind-the-ear digital hearing aids. The Audiologist will set up the hearing aid/s using the results of your hearing test and will discuss what settings you would like the aid to have.
Your audiologist will check that you are happy with the quality and volume of the sound. They can make adjustments based on your personal preferences and what feels right for you if necessary.
You will be shown how the hearing aid works and advised on the best way to use the aid.
You will be offered a follow up appointment to check on your progress after you have had an opportunity to acclimatise to wearing your hearing aid(s). Getting used to hearing aids can take some time.
After your Follow Up appointment it will be left to you to contact Audiology when required.
We are a teaching department so from time to time we have student audiologists sit in or do parts of our appointments. If you do not wish to have a trainee present, please make your Audiologist aware.
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth a galwadau ffôn yn y Gymraeg neu'r Saesneg. Atebir gohebiaeth Gymraeg yn y Gymraeg, ac ni fydd hyn yn arwain at oedi. Mae’r dudalen hon ar gael yn Gymraeg drwy bwyso’r botwm ar y dde ar frig y dudalen.
We welcome correspondence and telephone calls in Welsh or English. Welsh language correspondence will be replied to in Welsh, and this will not lead to a delay. This page is available in Welsh by clicking ‘Cymraeg’ at the top right of this page.