Your local audiology department

Your local audiology department will prescribe hearing aids for your child if they are required.  They will, most likely, be good quality digital hearing aids. 

 

 

 

Are they the best?

The NHS and Primary Care Trusts are inevitably constrained by financial issues.  Sometimes this means that the hearing aids that you and the audiologist would preferentially choose for your child, are not available.

The audiologist working for the NHS is considerably limited in the range of children's hearing aids available to him.  Hearing aids are produced in bulk for the NHS and the hearing instrument for your child will be selected from a restricted range of those aids 'on contract'.  These hearing aids are purchased by the NHS at a greatly reduced price.  It will always be possible to enjoy a wider range of children's hearing aids with the most up-to-date features if you are able to take advantage of privately marketed children's hearing aids.

What might not be available?

It will be very important to you that your child takes a pride in his or her hearing aids and that he or she wants to wear them - after all, this is the key to your child learning to hear and speak normally and take his or her rightful place in society.

You might feel that a brightly coloured hearing instrument is the best choice for your child - or sparkly ear moulds -   these might not be available to you.

Your child might be at an age where they feel that they need a more discreet hearing instrument such as an in the canal hearing aid.  It is understandable that these aids are not available on the NHS: you can now purchase them privately for your child.

Then there are other features, some of them technical electro-acoustic features, that the audiologist might consider very useful for your child that might only be available on a privately dispensed hearing instrument.

How much is a hearing aid privately?

How much does a car cost? - well it really depends on whether it is a Mini or a Rolls Royce.  This is the same for children's hearing aids.  Can you really put a price on your child's hearing?

It is important that you discuss through with your audiologist what features are useful, desirable and essential for your child.  Your dispenser is bound by the Hearing Aid Council's Code of Practice to offer you the best advice and to tell you when a feature or instrument is not required.

Phonak hearing aids

From choice Dr Russell generally uses Phonak's range of children's hearing aids.  Over the years these have been found to be robust and reliable and to offer good value for money.  They may not be the cheapest hearing aids initially, but in the long-run the quality shines through.  Dr Russell has fitted hundreds of children with Phonak hearing aids over the years,  many of these 'children' are now adults holding down responsible jobs and themselves taking the role of parent.

 

Dr Russell will guarantee that he can match or better any written quote from another registered Dispenser for Phonak hearing aids. 

 

When making comarisons with other suppliers - be careful - some large organisations commission their own hearing aids and it is extremely difficult if not impossible to compare their hearing aids with those available from known established companies like Phonak. Thus direct price comparisons can be meaningless since you will, almost certainly, not be comparing like for like.  Hearing aid details are quoted in generalised terms  eg, a 'group 1' aid a 'platinum group' aid or a '17 channel' aid.  This makes comparisons impossible. 

For further information relating to pricing please complete the online contact form and details will be forwarded to you.  Thank you and best wishes in your quest to improve your child's access to sound.