Hearing Aids

Hearing aids require regular maintenance to ensure that they continue to function normally. If your hearing aids were provided by RBH Audiology, please request replacement consumable parts (tubing, domes, cleaning rods and batteries) by completing our consumables request form.

If your NHS hearing aids were fitted for free by Specsavers in Reading, Newbury, Bracknell or Wokingham and you have not contacted us before, please contact us by phoning 0118 322 7238 or emailing audiology.royalberkshire@nhs.net.

If you have contacted us previously, please use the consumables request form. 

If your hearing aid has stopped working normally, please see our FAQ section below for easy to follow advice.

The majority of hearing aid faults can be resolved easily by following the information provided on the booklet you were given at your hearing aid fitting appointment. 

If your hearing aids were provided by the RBH Audiology service, or you have previously contacted us to transfer your care and you have been unable to resolve the problem, you can arrange a hearing aid repair appointment by completing our Adult Audiology Hearing aid repairs online booking form. If you cannot use the online booking system, you can ask someone to book an appointment for you, or telephone 0118 322 7238.

Please note that our hearing aid services are not available at Wallingford Community Hospital. Please use our hearing aid repairs online booking form to request a hearing aid repair appointment at one of our alternative locations.

If you are currently using free NHS hearing aids fitted by Specsavers, and you have received a letter notifying you that your care needs to be transferred to the RBH Audiology service, please contact us by calling 0118 322 7238, or by emailing audiology.royalberkshire@nhs.net. You will be unable to book appointments or request consumable parts for your hearing aids until you have received confirmation that your care has been transferred to the RBH Audiology Service.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital covers a large geographical area and spans different CCGs. The rules for each CCG and referral arrangements can vary slightly.

If your GP falls within the Oxford CCG, and you are over the age of 55, you may be able to arrange a hearing assessment with the RBH Audiology service at any of its clinic locations without a GP referral. If you are over the age of 55, and your GP falls within Oxford CCG, please phone us on 0118 322 7238 or email audiology.royalberkshire@nhs.net

If your GP does not come under the Oxford CCG, and you have hearing aids provided by the RBH Audiology service, please contact our team on 0118 322 7238 or email audiology.royalberkshire@nhs.net for further advice if you think that you need a hearing assessment.

If you are not currently under the care of the Royal Berkshire Hospital Audiology service, and your GP does not fall within the Oxford CCG, you may require a GP referral in order to arrange a hearing assessment.

My hearing aid has stopped working, what should I do?

Most common hearing aid faults can be resolved without any assistance. If your hearing aid has stopped working, you should follow the troubleshooting advice provided in the departmental booklet which you were given at your fitting appointment.

How do I clean my hearing aids and how often should I do this?

If you are prone to experiencing a build-up of wax in your ears, you may need to clean your hearing aids every day. If your hearing aid needs cleaning, you should follow the steps shown on pages 9-10 of your departmental booklet. 

All hearing aids have parts that must be changed every 6 months. Even if you clean your hearing aids regularly, they may stop working well if you don’t replace these parts every 6 months. For more information on how to replace consumable parts, please refer to pages 11-13 of your departmental booklet. 

Which hearing aid parts need replacing every 6 months and what happens when these parts aren’t changed?

You should change the tubing in your earmould, or the thin tube and dome attached to your hearing aid, every 6 months (or before if it is damaged or pinched).

If these parts are not changed every 6 months, the sound quality of your hearing aid will gradually reduce, and it may seem as though the hearing aid has stopped working. Some patients describe their hearing aid sounding “dull”, or as though they cannot hear well when their tubing/tubing and dome needs replacing.

How can I replace the tubing in my earmould?

If you are under the care of the RBH Audiology service, and you need more earmould tubing, you can request more by completing our online consumables request form.

Watch a video showing you how to replace the tubing in your earmould.

How can I replace the thin tube and dome attached to my hearing aid?

If you are under the care of the RBH Audiology service, and you need replacement thin tubes and domes, you can request more by completing our online consumables request form. 

For information about how to replace the thin tube and dome attached to your hearing aid, please refer to page 13 of your departmental booklet. 

My hearing isn’t working. I can only hear beeps when I press the buttons on my hearing aids and beeps when it first turns on. What should I do?

If your hearing aid microphones are blocked, the device will not amplify sounds that you want to hear, but you may still be able to hear the start-up beeps when your hearing aid turns on, or beeps when you press the buttons on the back of your hearing aid.

View a video showing you how to clean your microphone ports.