More information is available on the visiting page
Audiology
About our service
The audiology department provides hearing assessment following a direct patient referral from a GP. Our team selects, programs, and fits digital hearing aids for adults and provides follow-up hearing aid consultations, hearing aid repair clinics, and battery issues.
Reassessments are also available where necessary.
Audiology also provides support for ENT clinics, including:
- Brainstem testing
- Balance testing and rehabilitation
- Tinnitus assessment and counselling
Advice and contacting us
For people who have hearing aids from Wye Valley Trust (WVT) Audiology Department, please see the phone number on the right-hand side of this page or email audiology@wvt.nhs.uk (Monday to Friday) for free advice on how we can help.
Repairs - please do not come to the Audiology Department without an appointment, as walk-in repairs are no longer available. However, we may be able to offer you a booked repair appointment or another solution that can be arranged in advance, over the phone or via email.
For people who need a hearing test and haven’t seen us before, you will need to ask your GP for a referral to our service.
Free hearing loss badges for those struggling with communication due to face masks
If you, or anyone you know, is trying to cope with hearing loss and face masks, we are able to provide free hearing loss badges. If you think one of these badges would help, please contact our audiology department, and we will send one out to you (free of charge). Just let us know which badge is required as there is a choice of three as pictured right. Email Audiology@wvt.nhs.uk
Additional information
Paediatric and children's hearing aid services are at Ross Road Clinic.
Staff
- Head of Service: Samantha Cooper
- Chief Audiologist: Nigel Perry
- Paediatric Clinical Scientist: Michelle Little
- Senior Audiologist/Hearing Therapist: Jackie Paddock
- Senior Audiologist: Alison Stather-Hooper
- Senior Audiologist: Charlotte Turtle
- Senior Paediatric Audiologist: Deborah Heath
- Senior Audiologist: Gemma Knapman-Nuttall
- Senior Audiologist: Rebecca Mould
- Senior Audiologist: Stine Lawton-Smith
- Associate Audiological Practitioner: Phillipa Evans
- Paediatric Audiologist: Dhanisha Chauha
- Paediatric Senior Assistant Technical Officer: Debra Hollis
- Paediatric Audiology Apprentice: Shelley Oliver
- Senior Assistant Technical Officer: Frank Anderson
- Senior Assistant Technical Officer: Sophie Henderson
- Admin Lead: Sharon Maxwell
Helpful information
Below are some useful links to provide more information:
- Drop-in sessions with Deaf Direct – currently closed at all sites.
- Useful links to videos that may help you with cleaning your hearing aid and replacing the tubing.
How to clean your slim tube hearing aid
How to clean your earmould hearing aid
Please note if you do not have the cleansing beaker and sieve as suggested in the video, warm soapy water is fine.
How to replace your earmould tubing
C2 Hear online click here is a very useful website with lots of videos and information to help with your hearing aids.
Managing tinnitus
There are still many other things that you can do to help manage your tinnitus:
- Wear your hearing aids – if you have hearing loss, hearing aids will help both your hearing and your tinnitus. Hearing aids don’t work in a drawer!
- Sound therapy – if the noises seem louder at night or quiet times, it may help to have some natural or gentle sound from an app, CD, sound generator, or even a fan or ticking clock in the background.
- Relaxation – learning to relax properly is probably one of the most useful things you can do. Check out some of our information, including ideas for relaxation without sound. If you have a smartphone, there are some excellent free relaxation apps available.
Useful Links
Any Qualified Provider Service (AQP)
The Deaf Health Charity Sign Health – support, including mental health/psychological therapy, for Deaf people.
Delivered in British Sign Language (BSL) - sign health video library – the largest collection of health information in BSL, covering topics from cancer and depression to types of abuse and how to perform first aid.
Deaf Blind Organisation – communication, support, and resources for people who are living with both sight and hearing loss.
Lip Reading Practice – enables those with hearing loss who are unable to join a lip reading class to develop lip reading skills.
British Sign Language website – online BSL.