Audiology is the diagnostic assessment, rehabilitation and habilitation* of people with ear, hearing and/or balance difficulties. *Rehabilitation focuses on restoring a skill that is lost. In children, the skill may not be there in the first place, so it has to be taught, hence the services are habilitative, not rehabilitative.
Children's audiology service
You may have heard that we have recently been part of a wider review into NHS paediatric audiology services. If you are concerned about your child’s hearing please get professional advice from NHS111, your local GP or by calling us on 03033 306642
Hearing aids
Clinics
We offer an appointments only service for hearing aid repairs, fittings and re-assessments at our three hospitals; Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, Scunthorpe General Hospital and Goole and District Hospital. Please note these are for existing patients only. Book an appointment by calling or emailing us at 03033 306649 or [email protected]. The text phone number for Scunthorpe and Goole patients is 07523 909802.
Booked appointments are also available at the following locations:
- Freshney Green Medical Centre, Sorrell Road, Grimsby, DN34 4GB
- Weelsby View Health Centre, Ladysmith Road, Grimsby, DN32 9SW
- Beacon Medical, St Hughs Avenue, Cleethorpes, DN35 8EB
- Pilgrim Primary Care Centre, Pelham Road, Immingham, DN40 1JW
- Barnard Court, Brigg, DN20 8JD
Replacement hearing aid batteries are available from the hearing aid clinics and from:
- Volunteers desk at the main entrance in Grimsby hospital
- Val Waterhouse Centre, Kent Street, Grimsby
- Foresight, New Market Street, Grimsby
- Xray reception, Goole and District Hospital.
You can also post us your hearing aid for repair or drop it off at Grimsby or Scunthorpe hospital Audiology department. There is a drop box at both Scunthorpe and Grimsby Audiology Reception desks. You can place your hearing aid in an envelope, complete your details and the fault with hearing aid, place in the box and you will receive a telephone call when it is ready for collection.
Video guides for minor hearing aid issues
You may be able to fix minor issues with your hearing aid yourself at home. Our teams have created the following YouTube videos which we hope you find useful.
Safety alert on batteries
Keep batteries away from small children and animals. They are small and can be easily swallowed or pushed into the nose or ear.
Guidance has recently changed to recommend a battery lock is fitted to a hearing aid if the user is a child under 5 or if they are likely to be in regular contact with children under 5. A battery lock should also be considered for those patients with health conditions or disabilities that might put them at increased risk of swallowing a coin/ button battery. If you think a battery lock is required please contact the department.
A battery can cause serious harm and even death. Severe tissue damage can be caused by the electrical current discharged from the battery. This can lead to internal burns and can occur up to 28 days after ingestion. If a battery is accidentally swallowed seek medical attention immediately. Take the packaging with you and do not encourage them to eat, drink or make them sick.
Newborn hearing screening
More than 1,000 babies are born each year in England with deafness or hearing loss in one or both ears. The parents of every newborn baby in England are offered the opportunity to have their child checked for hearing impairment shortly after birth. The audiology department at Scunthorpe General Hospital sees newborns referred from the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and the community based health visitors for further investigation and, if appropriate, amplification to develop the child’s communication skills.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears or head where no external source is present. The word comes from Latin word tinnire and means to tinkle or to ring like a bell. In almost all cases, tinnitus is a subjective noise, meaning that only the person who has tinnitus can hear it. Someone with tinnitus often describes it as ringing in the ears, but people report hearing all kinds of sounds: crickets, whooshing, pulsing, ocean waves, buzzing, even music.
If you have persistent and troublesome tinnitus, you may want to visit your GP for an examination to rule out any possible medical and physiological problems associated with tinnitus. The doctor may refer you to the ear-nose-throat specialist who may in turn refer you to an audiologist for a hearing assessment. The audiologist may discuss management options with you regarding your tinnitus including counselling.
Tinnitus presentation
Relaxation recordings
These 4 relaxation sessions are each about 15 minutes long and will hopefully help you to practice letting go of tension and learn to not only relax your muscles, but also to acknowledge those things that trigger the tension, so help you manage situations better.
Always practice in a safe environment, so NOT while driving or operating machinery. Turn your phone off, make sure you are going to be comfortable and warm enough. Whether you prefer music or natural sounds or silence, while listening to the sessions is entirely up to you.
For the best results start with session 1 and use it at least twice a week, 3 times if you can, and do that for maybe 2 or 3 weeks, then move on to session 2. Once you have listened to session 2, if you prefer to practise again using either session 1 or 2 that’s ok. Again do this for a couple of weeks, 3 times a week if you can.
Then move on to session 3, again if you prefer listening to one of the others for your weekly sessions then that’s fine, and finally listen to number 4.
Once you have listened to them all try and keep a regular time and space for yourself each week when you can enjoy letting go and reap the benefits of relaxation. Remember it’s not about a goal but a journey, every time you practise relaxation your body will let go that little bit more, even if you don’t notice it.
Useful links
Newborn Hearing Screening
Hearing tests for children
Support for children and young people
Action On Hearing Loss
Tinnitus Helpline
Contact us
Telephone: 03033 306649
Email: [email protected]
