Hearing aid maintenance and repair

Image shows different types of hearing aids and an otoscope on a table.

General hearing aid trouble shooting

If the hearing aid doesn’t seem to be working, or you are not hearing well, try the following advice:

Check that the battery is in correctly.
Try replacing the battery with a fresh one.
Check that the ear mould/thin-tube is not blocked with wax.
Check for small droplets of moisture in the tubing which may be blocking the sound.
Check that the tubing is not twisted, kinked, squashed or split.
If your hearing aid has a volume control, check that it is on the correct volume.
If your hearing aid has a programme button/switch, it may be on the wrong setting. Turn the aid off and back on, or try pressing the button.

If your hearing aid is whistling, squealing or buzzing when you are wearing it:

Check that the mould/dome is in your ear correctly.
You may have excess wax in your ears, ask your GP to check your ears.
If it buzzes, and you have the Telecoil programme, check you are not on this setting.

Home maintenance/repairs

Quite often the hearing aid(s) appear to be faulty because some of the accessories need to be changed (e.g. tubing). Many people are able to do this themselves.

Here we have listed links to guides on replacing the tubes for your hearing aid(s):

Please note these are third party websites and we are not responsible for the content.

Follow this link to our 'Useful links' page for more helpful information for people with hearing loss.

Postal maintenance/repairs

If you need a hearing aid maintenance/ repair, you can post it to your local department and we will service/repair it and post it back. You should include your details (name, address, telephone number and a brief description of the problems you are experiencing) and any other information you think will be useful to us.

Swansea:

Audiology Department

Singleton Hospital

Sketty Lane

Swansea

SA2 8QA

Port Talbot:

Audiology Department

Neath Port Talbot Hospital

Baglan Way

Port Talbot

SA12 7BX

We aim to repair your hearing aid(s) and post it/ them back to you on the same day it is received.

This daily service is running for the foreseeable future.

If you are a keyworker/ health worker or you would come to harm without your devices, please contact us.

Follow this link to our Audiology home page for our contact details.

What happens if I lose or damage my hearing aids?

Your hearing aids remain the property of the NHS.

There is a charge for lost aids, and for damage which is caused by misuse or poor care, which is currently £65 but may change in the future.

An exemption to the charge exists for patients who;

Have a diagnosed cognitive impairment.
Have a diagnosed learning disability and / or Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Are a war pensioner in receipt of a war pension for hearing damage.
Are under the care of the Paediatric Audiology service (including those young adults not fully transitioned to Adult Services).
Are receiving palliative care.
Have a significant visual impairment (ie registered as blind).
Are the registered carer for another family member or significant other.
Are a hospital in-patient or are a resident in a Care Home, and with a diagnosed cognitive impairment at the time of the loss.
Are a victim of house theft or mugging – Police incident number is required.
Have lost their hearing aid(s) in a house fire.

Please contact us if you have lost or damaged your hearing aid(s) so that we can arrange for a replacement. The quickest way to pay the charge is by credit or debit card over the phone but please ask for alternatives if this is not possible. There is an appeals process if you feel that you should not pay the charge. Please ask a member of staff for information on how to appeal if required.

Drop off box maintenance/repairs

Picture of drop off box at the Enquires desk, at Singleton Hospital, main outpatient’s entrance.

At Singleton Hospital, you can drop your hearing aid/s into our red post box situated at the volunteer desk at the main entrance. Please ensure the hearing aid/s are in a sealed envelope with your name, address, telephone number and a brief description of the problems you are experiencing. If the hearing aid/s are dropped off before 12:00 Mon-Fri, we will aim to repair them the same day and contact you to arrange collection.

Picture of drop off box at the volunteer desk, at Neath Port Talbot Hospital.

You can drop the hearing aid/s into our red post box outside the Audiology Department at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. Please ensure the hearing aid/s are in a sealed envelope with your name, address, telephone number and a brief description of the problems you are experiencing. If the hearing aid/s are dropped off before 12:00 Mon-Thurs, we will aim to repair them and contact you to arrange collection within 24 hours.

Free help with NHS hearing aids

Battery and tubing replacement
Advice on how to get the most out of your hearing aids
Carry out basic hearing aid maintenance

We are very grateful for the volunteers that work with the audiology department to provide a convenient way to access to basic hearing aid maintenance and advice.

You can visit our drop-in sessions listed below, no appointment needed:

Gorseinon Library: 4th Wednesday of every month - 14:30pm-16:30pm.
Morriston Library: 3rd Friday of every month - 10:30am-12:30pm.
St Marys Church (SA1 3LP): 2nd Saturday of every month - 10:00am-12:00pm.
Neath Library: 2nd Wednesday of every month - 14:00pm-16:00pm.

Audiology volunteers wanted

The Audiology Department is recruiting to our team of volunteers to provide help and advice to hearing aid users in the Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea areas. We are looking for friendly, caring individuals with reasonable vision and manual dexterity.

All our volunteers are provided with full training and support.

If you are interested, please contact Sulaiman Ali or Hannah Hughes, Audiologists by phone on (01792) 285270 or by email to:

Sulaiman.ali@wales.nhs.uk

hannah.hughes7@wales.nhs.uk