Nhs hearing aids or private

[deltec]

What do people think are the best nhs hearing aids or private hearing aids just asking

[doglover1973]

Hi deltec Good question. I tried private HA's last year but didn't get on very well . I was unlucky with the audiologist. He wasn't very understanding about T . I'm waiting for the NHS to give me HA's now . There's no right or wrong answer. You just need an audiologist who 's going to listen to any problems you may have. Whether it's private or NHS.

[deltec in reply to doglover1973]

What were the private ones like

[doglover1973 in reply to deltec]

They were good for the T but made my ears very sore inside. The audiologist wouldn't have a bar of it so I got a refund. Hoping for better experience on the NHS . I've waited forever though .

[rabbits65]

I have heard deltec that private hearing aids cost an absolute fortune , someone I know said that the NHS. are just as good . Free I believe .

[Beesmac]

Hi deltec - I have both. My NHS ones are behind the ear which I wear most of the time. From a hearing point of view both pairs work the same . My private ones are from Specsavers which work out cheaper than going to an independent provider but I have always had excellent care from them. NHS provide batteries for life. Specsavers provide them for 5 years. With NHS you don’t really get a choice of style and have to go along with whatever your hospital trust provides. Specsavers have different styles, some with rechargeable batteries and other different options. My problem is that both my ear canals have a sort of kink so not all are suitable for me. I use my Specsavers ones when going out as I wear glasses and with wearing masks also, the behind the ear aids can get me in a right old mess. My Specsavers fit in my ear, they are quite big as my hearing loss is quite severe but as I said no difference in the hearing quality. Go and have a look at some. By the way, you have 90 days money back guarantee with Specsavers and they are excellent with aftercare. With my NHS ones I was told here they are and really just get on with them. We have a local community centre where you can pick up batteries. Take your time - they need to be comfortable. X

[Hylda2]

I have NHS ones which also mask my tinnitus and are bluetoothed to my phone. Brilliant. Audiologist very thorough and when I asked him the difference between the two he said NHS one’s were £3k a pair too. Perhaps I’m lucky as I come under the tinnitus clinic at our local hospital x

[Pink6- in reply to Hylda2]

I have a similar situation, Hylda2. I have the NHS hearing aids and they are excellent and really stylish and super modern. The audiologist said they were the same price as Boots top of the range so I'm delighted with mine. So NHS all the way!

[Woodentop99]

Absolute rip off, just go nhs, full stop.

[doglover1973 in reply to Woodentop99]

If you can. There are very long waiting lists 🙃

[bantams]

Hi deltec, I have private and NHS hearing aids, I bought the private ones from Specsavers £1595 whilst waiting for NHS hearing aids which as other`s have said you get free batteries, tubes and domes for life. They do take a bit of time to get use to wearing them but over time it is no problem. Both set`s of hearing aids help with my Tinnitus the only differance is the Specsavers are rechargeable and have bluetooth, but the NHS ones are basic and slightly bigger, but are Free.

[Vershon]

From my experience, NHS. It’s a no brainer. The audiologists have been excellent, the h aids are excellent and updated every few years, replacement tubes and batteries are no problem - at present the batteries are mailed to me on request. Replacement for a lost aid (it happens) is £85, which is v reasonable, considering. Otherwise, everything is FREE. Can’t fault it. Why would I pay some ropey outfit like Sp*******s to provide me at vast cost with something inferior. I accept that NHS provision is bound to vary from Trust to Trust, but my experience has been good. And I’m not paying for profits to go into shareholders’ pockets, nor for inflated bonuses for CEO’s. When public service is best, let’s use it!

[Hylda2]

Friend bought private rechargeable one. He said batteries ok from 10-4 and then he had to top up the evening with NHD aids

[Graham-E]

I have NHS H/As and do wonder about private ones. However the batteries and tubes are free. Then there is the clinic if something goes wrong. I lost one once in hospital and it was replaced for free which is very good. My NHS H/As have Bluetooth now and that’s a big bonus. When I think of private H/As it’s generally as I think they would be smaller.Over all I’m pleased with my NHS ones and would not want to be without the T function that sounds like the sea when switched on in quite places.

Great question and thanks

[Rickardo]

Hi Deltec. Well without a doubt go for the NHS Hearing Aids they seem to me the very best. I have a Pair of them and they are pre programmed at the audiology dept of the hospital dealing with your T. They are called "OTICON". They can even be controlled by your mobile phone via Bluetooth. They have a built in sound generator to assist in masking your T and this will be SPECIFICALLY programmed TO YOUR HEARING ONLY. In other words they may not be as affective if say someone else picked yours up and used them! These will be programmed specifically for your type of T & hearing loss (if any).

Hope that helps.

Kind regards from Richard.

[notdodgy]

I have NHS and they are fine.They do not have phone connectivity

😢I heard someone else had nhs aids with phone connectivity so I asked.

It looks like it depends on where you live.

[CHswim471]

Hello deltec. My experience is that my GP advised me to go private, given the waiting lists. The audiologist told me that the hearing aids provided by the NHS are the same or similar to those provided privately (she deals with private and NHS customers). The issue from her point of view is access to ongoing support. I went to her for a test for tinnitus and she told me that I needed hearing aids for moderate hearing loss, which could slow down the tinnitus. She told me I could go anywhere for the hearing aids but that I should have them. What decided me to buy from that company was the quality of service and the very lucky fact that I could afford to buy privately.

[CamMitch]

At first, I was against hearing aids, because I heard a lot of negative comments about them, so I was a little bit afraid. Then I considered all pros and cons and decided to try hearing aids. I was looking for the best ones for a long time and then my friend recommended that I visit this hearing aid store audiologyisland.com/online-... and I found perfect hearing aids. Now I cannot imagine my life without them.