NHS Hearing Aid Waiting List

@alaiafunny said:

do you know if they have a commercial equivalent?

I’m not very experienced with Resound. I wouldn’t know what they are equal too in the private market.

It’ll be a very slightly de-featured Quattro/3D.

I’m not sure if the NHS is pulling in the rechargeable version or full RIC yet with the charging case.

that makes sense, It seems like they are not as popular as the phonak aids

In the link Zebras shared it seems like they have a rechargeable and RIC options but I don’t know if they are being offered to patients yet

Holy schmeck LRav, that’s appalling I’d guess your ears have grown in that 15 month wait time as well

Hello to all, this is my first post.

A long term user of NHS hearing aids, over thirty years, coming up to my sixth set. Due to extensive ear surgery, bilateral mastoidectomies, tympanoplasties and ossiculoplasties.

Just last week got prescribed my next pair, which will be Phonak Nathos Nova. To replace my last set, Siemens Octiv M+

Borderline between needing a high power aid on one side, but hopefully the medium power version will do, maxed out.

These are the NHS version of the Phonak Marvel series, at about level 7 out of 9 on their tech. scale.

Looking forward to exploring the bluetoothery stuff, which I expect to be transfomative.

From GP referral to consultation at hospital took 3 weeks. The metric here (SE England) is 6 weeks max. otherwise the service gets a black mark.

I would have walked out with new aids that day, except that I require custom moulds, so that puts, currently a 6-8 week delay on that. The new ones will be posted to me, then about 4 weeks later I will receive a remote consultation via. the MyPhonak app.

If we can’t make the necessary fine tweaks over the 'phone then we’ll have a face-face soon enough, and in the ear measurements etc. But as they know my history I expect they will get it close, rather than just press the autofit button…

I am an experienced hearing aid user, and have been well served by the NHS, for about 30 years.

My condition is slightly complex, certainly not the usual age related decline, although I expect that has been going on as well, but mostly conductive (large air gap measurements) together with a severe drop-off at higher frequencies, also evident on the bone conduction tests.

My surgeons did warn me about that, basically the noise from drilling out a large amount of mastoid bone, with something like a dentist’s drill, was going to deafen me significantly whatever the end result. But both ops. ten years apart, went as well as could be optimistically expected. On the later one I had to consent, in detail, to, basically, no promise of any hearing left at all. As well as various other scary possibilities, some of which did happen. This was not exactly an elective procedure, rather an emergency. Which was correct, it took five further operations to get some hearing back. God bless the NHS.

My NHS audiologists seem to have found it rather interesting, and gone the extra mile to do their best, with whatever tech. they have available at the time.

The Nathos Nova is only available in M power that is disposables or P power that is rechargeable’s.

Which ones do you have? I’ll be interested in your reviews about the P power, like do you get all the accessories to cater for them eg charger etc?

The NHS were very reluctant to provide any accessories but I guess times are changing.

They will be M power, disposable cells, with T-coils. On the edge of needing P power, but only in one ear. I think that M power will be fine, as does my audiologist. No accessories asked for by me.

Of course the P powers do come standard as rechargeable. Supplied with a charger. Looked at them too, but no T-coil, bigger and so far we think not necessary yet.

Quite happy to stick with disposable cells, size 13. They suit my lifestyle well, and of course, I get them supplied for free.

Hopefully I’ll have them before Christmas, I got to choose the colour too (silver grey). They have them ready, just waiting on the earmoulds to be made. Previous set have a dome on one side, and a mould on the other. New audiologist strongly suggested that I might now do better with moulds both sides, I agreed.

Watch this space …