Audiology
Audiology – Hearing Care
Outpatients Level 2
Torbay Hospital
Lowes Bridge
Torquay TQ2 7AA
Tel: 01803 656325
Email: Audiology – Hearing Care
Audiology – Hearing Care is a patient centred NHS audiology and hearing aid department based at Torbay Hospital. We offer a comprehensive service for both adults and children at a number of local hospitals and clinics throughout the South Devon area.
Audiology – Hearing Care is a department consisting of highly qualified Audiologists, Senior Assistant Audiologists and is also a training centre for student audiologists
We offer a completely free service and give impartial, knowledgeable advice tailored to your own specific hearing requirements.
The audiologists carry out a range of tests to determine the presence, nature and extent of hearing loss and balance disorders. This enables accurate clinical diagnosis in a range of hearing related conditions.
Audiology – Hearing Care offers a choice of current, quality digital hearing aids based on your hearing level and personal needs. Should you choose to try a hearing aid we will programme your new aid to your hearing prescription using Real Ear Measurements, where appropriate, ensuring a sound tailored specifically to you.
Waiting times for audiology at Torbay Hospital are low. All patients are offered an appointment for initial assessment within 20 working days of referral, which we are actively working to reduce. If you decide to try a hearing aid you will be offered an appointment within 25 working days of the assessment. Appointments are booked with you, so you can choose a location, date and time to suit your lifestyle and fit around any other commitments.
A further role includes the long term management and rehabilitation of the hearing impaired and those with tinnitus, many of whom require the support of hearing aids/communication equipment and counselling.
Audiology – Hearing Care is closely associated with Torbay Hospital Ear Nose and Throat Department and carries out assessments of hearing and balance on patients referred to ENT by their GP. We also specialise in the fitting of more advanced hearing devices for complex hearing needs.
Appointments
For appointments at any of our clinics and for more information, you can contact us using the details at the top of this page.
Please note: the Audiology appointment booking line is currently experiencing a high volume of calls and waiting times are longer at this present time. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prior to your appointment: your ears will need to be free of wax for all audiology appointments; you may need to see the nurse at the GP surgery to get them check or arrange wax removal.
If you already have a hearing aid you can contact us directly for an appointment. If you do not have a hearing aid and want a hearing assessment or advice, please arrange a referral from your GP to see us.
Hearing aid repairs
We are currently not running open repair clinics at Torbay Hospital. Please do not come to Torbay Hospital unless you have an appointment.
You can book a face-to-face hearing aid repair appointment by ringing 01803 656325.
If your hearing aid needs repairing or retubing, we are accepting drop off repairs at:
- Brixham Community Hospital
- Dartmouth and Kingswear Health and Wellbeing Centre
- Dawlish Community Hospital
- Newton Abbot Community Hospital
- Paignton Health and Wellbeing Centre
- Teignmouth Community Hospital
- Totnes Community Hospital
When dropping your hearing aid off please place it in a clear resealable bag along with your brown book or blue battery card. The Audiologist will ring when your hearing aid is ready to collect.
If you would like to post your hearing aid in, then please send them to Audiology – Hearing Care at Torbay Hospital, using the address at the top of this page.
We will send these back to you in the post. If you can’t manage without your hearing aids, please send one in at a time.
If you need new tubes and are able to change these yourself, please contact us by phone and we will send these out to you.
For any other queries or problems feel free to contact us by phone on 01803 656325.
Our patient information and instructional videos (such as how to retube hearing aids, how to clean etc), can be found in our sub-pages.
Please note: due to department pressures we are extremely busy and therefore drop in repairs are very unlikely to be completed on the same day.
Batteries
If you need batteries, you can now return to collecting them from the GP surgery or Health center. If you have difficulties with this, please phone on 01803 656325 or email Audiology – Hearing Care and we will send these to you in the post.
Update / warning on battery safety:
Audiology clinics
Audiology clinics run at the following local hospitals. To make appointments at any one of our clinics, contact the main audiology centre in Torbay and request the clinic closest to you.
