What has been described as the NHS hospital tests is what happened at Specsavers and, yes, they do provide the batteries free, you just take your little card to any Specsavers and they give you the batteries.
DH and I have had hearing aids for over three years but never a brown book, how do we get one of those.
For all the nit-pickers, I, like many others, posted in a hurry and perhaps my meaning was not clear. I think most of us have posted quickly at one time or another. I intended to suggest that anyone over 55 should get a hearing test, even if they think they don't need one. To flesh that out - age related hearing loss is gradual and you probably don't notice it yourself but others around you will do but may be too polite to comment. I hope that is now clear and will end the discussion on whether it is appropriate for older people to get hearing tests. If not, just get over it please and talk about something that matters.