Lost hearing aid charges
When you are a fitted with a hearing aid, it remains the property of the NHS that you are responsible for. It is an expensive piece of technology and you should do all you can to keep it safe.
If the aid is lost or damaged due to negligence, there may be a charge to have the hearing aid replaced. Currently, that fee is £70 per hearing aid. This is an administrative fee for the replacement of the aid and is a charge for the aid that has been lost, not for a new one. This does not cover the entire cost of the aid.
Negligence
Hearing aids can break down through no fault of your own. If this happens, the aid will be repaired or replaced free of charge. However, if the failure of the aid is due to negligence, there will be a charge for this. It is therefore important that you look after your hearing aid and ensure it is kept safe. Please refer to your hearing aid instructions for guidance on how to look after your hearing aid.
Examples of negligence
Examples of negligence include, but are not limited to:
- Exposure to excess moisture, for example, from showers/baths and swimming.
- Damage from domestic appliances (washing machine, oven, microwave etc.).
- Tampering (gluing the aid together, inserting battery incorrectly).
- Marks of damage through neglect/poor storage (rust, grime, melted casing, teeth marks).
- Poor/inappropriate cleaning of hearing aid or mould that causes irreparable damage.
Repeated loss of aid
If you are repeatedly losing your hearing aid, please make an appointment so we can check if there is anything we can do to help prevent you from losing it. We can also check that you are using the device correctly and it is fitting well. For children, in exceptional circumstances of repeated loss/damage, a Paediatric Panel will make a decision on the best possible course of action to minimise the impact to wellbeing and development.
Exception evidence
If you do not meet the exclusion criteria but think you have a case for being exempt from paying, please contact the department to discuss this. The Head of Service can review your case and you will be contacted with the outcome of this.
Exclusion criteria
There are some exemptions to the fee. See below for a full list of these criteria.
- Children and young people under 16 years of age
- Young people aged 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education
- Patients in receipt of any of the following (evidence will be required):
- Jobseekers Allowance (income/contribution-based) o Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit) o Universal Credit
- Current HC2 or HC3 certificate (or partner does)
- Patients registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired
- Hearing aid lost in a road traffic accident (police incident number will be required)
- Hearing aid has been stolen (police incident number will be required)
- Patients with learning difficulties
- Patients with dementia
- Hearing aid lost in hospital
- Hearing aid lost in care home
Note: This page covers all NHS hearing aids including Bone Anchored Hearing Aid devices.
Contact information
If you would to discuss any of this information, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Postal address:
Hearing Services, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester GL1 3NN
Email:
ghn-tr.hearing.services@nhs.net
Telephone:
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm