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Audiology
(hearing loss)
Many people over 55 years of age experience some degree of hearing difficulty as they get older.
This can make it difficult for them to listen to the television or socialise and can make them feel very isolated.
The age-related hearing loss service is for adults age 55+, offering hearing assessment and hearing aids.
Contact your GP or 111 if you develop any of the following symptoms:
- hearing loss and you are under 55 years old
- experiencing persistent pain in the ear
- discharge other than wax from the ear
- fluctuating hearing loss
- sudden hearing loss (within 72 hours), or rapid onset (within 90 days or less) hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus.
If you are registered to a GP in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire:
You can get a hearing assessment for age related hearing loss at a number of providers.
The quickest way to do this is to complete a Self-Referral Form and take this to your provider of choice. The self referral form contains all provider contact details and addresses.
Your chosen provider can help you complete the form and self-refer if you need support. Alternatively, visit your GP or healthcare provider who will refer you to your provider of choice.
Clinic locations for available providers: Audiology Bucks and Oxon providers list
If you are registered to a GP in Berkshire West:
Hearing assessments for age related hearing loss are done through The Royal Berkshire Hospital Audiology Department: Audiology | Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.
- Complete the online self referral-form here, which can also be found at Hearing Aids – Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (under the section – ‘How to arrange a hearing test’).
- You can also request get a hearing assessment via your GP or other healthcare professional who will need to refer you.
Other information
- BOB ICB Audiology leaflet: for advice and what to do if your ears become blocked by wax.
- NHS: Hearing loss (www.nhs.uk)
- RNID: communication tips if you have hearing loss
- RNID: how to communicate with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss
The NHS is committed to giving patients greater choice and control over how they receive their healthcare and is working hard to improve opportunities for patients to make informed choices about their care that best suit their needs and circumstances. View the NHS choice constitution document here
