Our Services: Audiology

What is Audiology?

Audiologists work for the NHS in hospitals, and also go out into the community. They provide hearing assessments, prescribe hearing aids and provide ongoing support and maintenance for hearing aid users. 

The service within the Western Isles treats both adults and children, and we are able to test babies from eight months old. 

Audiology also supplies counselling and management strategies for patients with tinnitus. 

The service is available at the Western Isles Hospital and Uist and Barra Hospital. 

How to Refer

If you have an NHS hearing aid you can make an appointment on:

Tel: 01851 708217
Email: wi.audiology@nhs.scot

Audiology Service
Outpatients Department
Western Isles Hospital
Macaulay Road
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis HS1 2AF
.

You can book an appointment for hearing aid repairs, post them into the service at the address above or leave them at the main reception in an envelope with your name, DOB and contact details and the audiologist will call you when the aid has been seen to. 

If you do not have an NHS hearing aid, you will need to be referred through your GP, health visitor, nurse practitioner or Speech and Language Therapist. 

If you or someone you know is turning the TV up, not hearing on the telephone or thinking that people mumble, it is time for a hearing assessment. The results and the options available will be discussed with you in detail. 

All the hearing aids are digital. 

If you lose your hearing aid/s, please contact the Audiology Service for a claim form.

Lost/Damaged Aids Protocol - Frequently Asked Questions

Please note that the NHS Western Isles Audiology Service charges for lost Hearing Aids.  This is due to the increase in lost hearing aids, and the time taken for these to be replaced by the Audiologist Service. 

 

Q – WHAT IS THIS CHARGE FOR?
A – The £40 charge is for the administration costs involved.  This paperwork is forwarded to the NHS Western Isles Finance Department within approximately two weeks – and once sent to the Finance Department,  the invoice charge is non-refundable. This charge relates to each hearing aid lost, so if two hearing aids were lost the charge would be £80.  

 

Q – ONCE I HAVE PAID THE FEE, DOES THIS MEAN I OWN THE HEARING AID?
A- No, this is not the case.  All hearing aids remain the property of NHS Western Isles.  

 

Q – I HAVE FOUND MY HEARING AID AFTER REPORTING IT LOST, WHY AM I STILL BEING CHARGED?
A – As stated above, the charge is in relation to the administration costs, not the hearing aid itself.     

 

Q – WHY AM I WAITING SO LONG FOR MY HEARING AID?
A – Due to the increase in lost hearing aids reported to the Audiology Service, the waiting time has increased.  The Audiology Service is limited to the amount of aids it can replace, at any one time, due to service resources.

 

Q -ONCE I RECEIVE AND HAVE PAID MY INVOICE WILL MY HEARING AID FOLLOW SHORTLY?
A – Regardless of when the invoice is received/paid, there will still be a waiting time of approximately 6-8 weeks.  If an invoice has not been paid by the time the hearing aid is due to posted, this will cause a further delay.    

 

NOTE. Please do not contact the NHS Western Isles Finance Department regarding the above, as they will repeat information above. 

Hearing Aid Replacement Items (batteries, wax traps, thin tubes or domes)
Hearing Aid batteries are available from the main Reception at the Western Isles Hospital and Uist and Barra Hospital.
Hearing Aid batteries are also available at GP surgeries throughout the Western Isles (apart from Broadbay Medical Practice and the Group Practice, instead collect these items from Western Isles Hospital's main Reception).
If you need wax traps, thin tubes or domes you can collect these from the Western Isles Sensory Centre. Tel:01851 701787 (open weekdays 10am-2pm).