Hearing

When I realised that my husband was having hearing problems I took him to the doctor's. He referred him for a hearing test. In our area the hearing specialists visit our surgery regularly and are excellent. He got hearing aids at that first appointment. I order spares (new tubes and batteries) online or by phone from them when he needs them. On one occasion one of the hearing aids stopped working properly and they repaired it immediately. They have consulting rooms in the city centre where I have taken him twice when he has had problems. All this has cost him nothing although they do have accessories that you can buy.
His very deaf sister was in a care home and as she was bedbound they visited her in the care home to give her new hearing aids.

I think it depends on the type of loss. DH has loss caused by his work which the NHS don't seem to be able to help. He has private ones.

First port of call fir me would be a GP referral to ENT at the local hospital. Nhs aids are very good and free. Batteries too. My dh bas Bluetooth on his which he likes.
Places like spec savers etc can also cover nhs but also do private aids which can cost thousands.
Just get your ears checked first and go from there.
I also have nhs aids but don’t find them comfortable so don’t use them, but my dh wears his every day without a problem,
Good luck

My husband and I both go to Scrivens.

He started with NHS aids but has since bought private ones with a Bluetooth connection to his phone and a USB charger.

I've got the NHS ones which I'm quite happy with at the moment.
After the initial appointment and screening, the audiologist wrote to my GP for authorisation to prescribe these on the NHS. That came through in about ten days.
Everything about it is free, I just have to phone when I need new batteries and they come through the post.

Hi. I’ve just had a hearing check at specsavers, organised by the GP I need two hearing aids. I’m disappointed though because I wanted the in ear aids but can’t have the on the NHS.
I’ll have to pay their around 2.5k. I’m thinking about it 🥴

No you can’t get in ear aids on the nhs, they are expensive, might be because it’s so easy to lose them.
Hope whatever you choose helps you Katy.

Different health authorities do different things. This area does not link to specsavers nor boots. I had to wait 18weeks for a nhs hearing test. I was prescribed nhs aids which helped enormously and i wore them all day from the start.. In Nov 23 my aids were upgraded to blue tooth by nhs but are still about 3years behind private dispensed ones. Ive bought my own tubing and the silicon attachments which go in your ears as getting anything replaced by nhs to keep aids working properly requires a long long wait for an nhs appointment. Manufacturers suggest replacing tubes every couple of months whereas nhs i only had replacement tubing once a year. Hearing aids should last between 3 and 5 years the nhs audiologist said and they wouldnt expect to see me for a new hearing check until then unless i had a significant issue! My suggestion is to try nhs route first as private ones cost thousands.

I was reffered by my gp. My husband went to Specsavers and he was told his hearing was fine I knew it wasn’t. The guy just told him to ask his wife to speak up! Eventually he went via gp to hospital and now wears two. In my experience it’s the best thing I ever did.

I have had NHS hearing aids for years, current aids are Bluetooth enabled and l find them very good, excellent in fact. I cannot fault NHS audiologists but my last set of hearing aids were dreadful. The waiting time to see an audiologist in my current health authority is appalling. I held out purely on financial grounds and waited for 18 months (for replacement aids). It is extremely important to wear aids if you need them, dementia risk can increase if you don't.
Check with you GP what the waiting period is and if it doesn't suit you seek help elsewhere.

I’ve have aids bought privately, they are great.

The audiologist linked them to Bluetooth so I can listen to podcasts on BBC Sounds which I have downloaded. I also have relaxation meditations from CALM all listened to as and when I want them. I often go shopping whilst listening to radio 4.

If I am in a pub I can turn down the sounds of the drinkers.

Mine are made by Oticon.

Another vote for Scrivens. Very professional and extremely helpful and friendly.