About us
The Audiology Service at North Devon District Hospital aims to promote high quality care to patients with hearing loss, balance disorders and tinnitus. The department currently has 14 Audiologists who support 12,000 existing patients through the acute site and as well as in the wider North Devon community, holding clinics at Ilfracombe, South Molton, Bideford and Holsworthy Community Hospitals once a month. The department accepts over 5500 new referrals a year.
Department location - North Devon District Hospital, level 2, Outpatients C (click here for map)
The Audiology department offers a diagnostic and rehabilitative audiology service for adults and paediatrics. This includes:
- Routine and advanced diagnostic assessments for hearing, balance and tinnitus for adults and children of all ages using subjective and objective procedures
- Hearing aid provision and rehabilitation for adults and children
- Rehabilitation for patients with balance problems
- Tinnitus retraining therapy for patients with tinnitus
- Targeted Newborn Hearing Screening ; (a national programme established to test all babies’ hearing soon after birth) for babies on SCBU
- The follow up of babies referred by the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme
- A drop-in open repair service for hearing aids for NHS users
- The department is open daily for battery replacements.
- Diagnostic Audiology support to the ENT department
- Automatic recall every 5 years for existing hearing aids users. Patients are able to self-refer for a hearing reassessment if there are concerns that there have been significant changes to their hearing.
- We also offer telephone follow ups and Domicilliary Visits for those who are housebound following an appropriate GP referral.
In addition, senior audiologists provide education and training to healthcare professionals, social care, education and trainees.
The department fits digital hearing aids to all appropriate hearing losses using nationally recognised guidelines.
Direct GP referrals for adult hearing assessments are accepted for all age groups (with no other ear nose and throat conditions).
