A bit forward. Maybe deserved, maybe not. I found both comments unneeded.
I have total respect for this poster.
I believe medical care is a basic human right, if you want to go private or have insurance then by all means if you can afford it do so, but some folks donāt have that choiceā¦ In the UK we pay National Insurance if you are working, it depends on how much you earn, the higher your salary the more you contribute, I probably pay around 300$ a month (I would gladly pay more) the N.I. Contributes to everyoneās medical care and a statutory government pension, if you are unemployed and on benefits you do not pay, but you get a N.I. Credit for your pensionā¦ The NHS for all its faults is a wonderful Health Service with some totally dedicated staff, sure it is underfunded but no one is turned away and they will do there utmost to help you given the resources available, itās not free we pay for it in N.I. Contributionsā¦ Unfortunately for Big āDā and little ādā, their NHS Audioligist Departments are at the rear end of the funding cue as hearing is not classed as a life threatening ailment, so youāre not going to get the latest all singing and dancing hearing aids, you will get Hearing Aids that are technologically 3, 4 or 5 years behind, simply because thatās what they can afford, tis all down to mathematics, but you will get something which in my book is whole lot better than nothing. Hence I pay for private Hearing Aids myself, but that is my choice as I like the latest and greatest, but I am truthfully grateful for all the help I have had from the NHS Audioligist in the past, but now I can afford that choiceā¦ I reiterate many millions worldwide do not have that choice! Cheers Kev.
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We are overly protective of our NHS Raudriveā¦ Um Bongo works in the private sector, but Aneurin Bevan MP was one of the founding fathers of the National Health Service in the UK (late 40ās) and I believe Um Bongo is a fellow Welshman and rightly proud of Nye Bevanās achievements. Cheers Kev.
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I was born in the Miners Hospital in Caerphilly, which was literally paid for by the Minerās welfare fund. This kind of collaborative effort of the workers to ensure better healthcare and facilities for everyone formed the basis of lifting a whole generation out of grinding poverty and poor life outcomes. Most of my family still live in this area.
So, I might come across as a bit chippy about this, but when youāre only a generation or two from crippling poverty, chronic lung damage and worse; people making glib political points doesnāt really sit well.
I apologise to all concerned for any offence caused, and to @DanTheMan in person.
Edit: For a bit of context, this sort of stuff was still going on in the 1960s - Aberfan disaster - Wikipedia
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I think the NHS is wonderful.
Unfortunately in Northern Ireland the NHS is struggling to cope and more and more people are paying for private health insurance (including myself).
The reason why I want to go through the NHS ENT is because I have other issues with my ears. Also, I have never worn hearing aids before and was not entirely comfortable paying for aids without having a second opinion.
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Certainly very fortunate with regards to NHS audiology in my area. I sent a faulty aid in repair, 7 days ago. Received a brand new unit in the post today.
Hi. I didnāt have a repeat test for 5 years (young kids, too busy etc). I phoned them up and they offered me a test in 4 weeks and new aids 4 weeks later. Iām in nottingham. I realise we are very lucky here with that kind of service - especially considering they are using skeleton staff and everything takes 3 times longer due to masks, disinfection etcā¦
Sorry your wait is so long - that really is crazy. Is there a way to go over to england and see a service there ? In england we can choose where we go to for NHS stuff these days.
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30 months and youāre worried if theyāll then be a wait after that for a hearing aid? Iād be worried if I would still be alive
Itās great you didnāt have to wait long, I donāt know if we can access services in England but I must look into it.
I have been moved up the list here but the clinic is closed due to COVID, hopefully I will now be seen within a year of the referral, much better than the original quoted timescale.
wow 30 months - thats crazy
Looks like weāre close to each other. Born and bred in Pontypridd (but lived in newport for last 20 years).
Wheres youāre shop then?
Carmarthen and Swansea. (Originally Bedwas) If youāre after a RIC for that money, weāre doing Bernafon Viron 5, which imho is a slightly better from a robustness/reliability point of view.
The Rechargeable is also quite good value, as it features a replaceable rechargeable cell, should you run into problems down the line. That removes a bit of the warranty headache.
In my experience, public healthcare has nothing to do with wait times for audiology services in Canada. We mostly have to pay out-of-pocket for hearing aids here in Canada (in Ontario, the government will kick in $500 per ear, which of course is nowhere near enough). I have two different insurance plans through my workplace and my wifeās, but Iāll still be paying thousands out-of-pocket. This is one of the areas where our medical services are quasi-American (like dental care), and itās awful. You know not of what you speak.
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Bumping this old thread to see if anyone knows about the current waiting times in England? I know I have had hearing loss since I was 20 but could never afford hearing aids and I still donāt know if they are an option for me.
I was just referred to the local Hospitalās ENT and my GP told me that due to the current situation I should expect the waiting times to be quite long and that they would contact me when they have an exact date but they werenāt able to tell me an approximate timeframe.
Iām curious if anyone has gotten hearing aids during the pandemic through the NHS and how long did they have to wait both for the referral appointment and for the hearing aid fitting? I certainly hope itās not 30 months but to be honest I would completely understand if it were so.
I waited 5 weeks for my appointment and got fitted on the same day as my audiogram was done. This was about 2 months ago.
Wow thatās fast! Do you think yours is a special case or does your audiologist seem to do it all at once as common practice? Iāve never heard of anyone who got their hearing aids the same day they had their audiograms done.
Well I just got the letter for my appointment with the audiologist and it seems like the wait is going to be four months for me. If hearing aids are the best option for me I think I can expect to get them before the end of the yearā¦ not too bad!
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Welp, just an update on this just in case someone from the UK is still interested in this. I just had my first appointment with the audiologist today because the appointment kept on getting cancelled and rescheduled. So, so far itās been 6 months since my GP referred me.
I was offered hearing aids (Danalogic Ambio I think) but I still need some further exams done before I can get them fitted.
So maybe the wait right now from the moment you see your GP to the moment you get HA fitted could be around the 6-8 month mark (this is in England).
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Hereās a website to look up what the Aids can do.
They work with an App but wonāt stream music or calls unless you use a device, ie Phone Clip.
Oh, thank you for the link! Yes, my audiologist explained that they work with an app but canāt use bluetooth or connect to other devices and Iād need an extra device for that.
I donāt know if Iāll get one though, I think Iāll see how I manage with the aids first. It seems Iāll have to wait around 4 more weeks to get them fitted, Iām kind of excited to try them on 
I think this aids seem to be exclusive for the NHS? do you know if they have a commercial equivalent?