NHS Forth Valley – Audiology

Are you aged 55 or over and have a few regular hours to spare every week?

Then why not volunteer with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP)

They run a range of volunteer clinics to support people with hearing aids

Please complete our volunteer form to register your interest

Open Access clinics are not currently running, however, a number of volunteer-led hearing aid servicing clinics are available without the need for an appointment.

These clinics take place daily at the audiology departments at Falkirk Community Hospital and Stirling Health and Care Village. At these clinics, our volunteers can retube your hearing aids and give you batteries. However, if any additional help is needed, you may need to leave your aids with the department for repair, or have an appointment made for you.

There is no need to make an appointment for these clinics, and service is on a first come, first served basis.

Volunteer-led clinic times are:

Falkirk Community Hospital

Mon 1pm – 3pm
Tues 9am – 11am
Wed 9am – 11am
Thurs 1pm – 3pm
Fri 1pm – 3 pm

Clackmannashire | Alloa Library (Spiers Centre)

Wed 1pm – 3pm

Stirling Health and Care Village

Mon 1pm – 3pm
Tues 1pm – 3pm*
Wed 1pm – 3pm
Thurs 1pm – 3pm
Fri 1pm – 3pm

Please do not attend the clinic in person, other than during these hours. As our clinics begin to get busier, there may not be anyone available to see you.

*Please note: The volunteer-led clinic at Stirling Health and Care Village is CLOSED on the last Tuesday of every month for staff training.

We provide the following alternative services for existing hearing aid users:

Batteries

Online request form (batteries will be posted to you)
Post your yellow book to us (address as above, batteries will be posted to you)

Hearing aid servicing (replacement tubes) – required every 4-6 months

Online request form (to be fitted by yourself at home)
Post your yellow book to us with a short note requesting these to be posted
Phone us on 01786 434171 if you do not have access to online services. Tubes will then be posted to you.

Hearing aid self-help, hearing and hearing aid support

If you are new to hearing aids, inserting and removing them can take practice, and you may not remember everything that was discussed in your appointment. The following videos may help:

You may be able to perform simple regular servicing on your hearing aids yourself. Tubing replacement is required every four to six months. Once we have provided you with replacement tubing through our online request form, the following links may help you:

Changing a slimtube (this will vary slightly depending on your hearing aid, so please watch this video to the end to ensure you are using the right technique for your aid)
Ear mould retubing
Hearing aid whistling/feedback
General troubleshooting

Danalogic Hearing aid support:

Danalogic for patients

General hearing and hearing aid support:

C2hear online

If replacing the tubing and following the troubleshooting guidelines don’t work:

In the first instance post your hearing aids to us for repair (one at a time if that is easier for you).
If you are unsure of the above and require further assistance or guidance, please contact us by:
- E-mail us on fv.audiology@nhs.scot
- Phone us on 01786 434171

Forth Valley Audiology Services carry out hearing tests on patients of all ages.

They arrange hearing-aid provision & maintenance for those who require it and have departments at Falkirk Community Hospital, Stirling Health & Care Village.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics are provided at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert and audiology clinics are provided at Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre in Sauchie and at Forth Valley Sensory Centre in Camelon.

Are you worried about losing your hearing?

For anyone who has concerns about their hearing, a short film has been made to help spot the signs of hearing loss.

Sudden hearing loss

If you experience a sudden hearing loss, this should be considered a medical emergency.

Please contact your GP, local urgent care department or NHS 24 (111) within 72 hours of experiencing the hearing loss.

Accessing the service

Hearing Assessment for the first time

Make an appointment with your GP to discuss your hearing. Your doctor will check your ears and write a formal referral to our service, or the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic as appropriate. You will then be offered an appointment to discuss your hearing more fully.

New to Area

If you have a hearing device from another NHS board area, or privately purchased, you also will need to follow the procedure above. If your hearing aid is from another NHS board area, and it requires repair work to be carried out, then our audiology team may be able to help or advise. See below for details on how to contact the department.

We will not be able to take over your care fully, however, as we will have no history or hearing aid fitting details for you, and we may not have replacement parts for your specific hearing aid. In the meantime, you can also contact your issuing board for help and advice, even in no longer living in their area. We are unable to support privately bought aids.

Hearing tested before but never had a hearing aid

If you were previously offered a hearing aid and declined, we may be able to offer you an appointment direct if within a year of your original appointment. After this time you would need referred again by your GP.

Have a Hearing aid but never worn it

If you have a hearing device issued by NHS Forth Valley, regardless of how long ago this was, you can contact the department using the contact details below for support, or you can attend one of our volunteer-led servicing clinics (days and times listed above).

Contact us

If you require new batteries, or maintenance to your NHS hearing aid, please either:

Post in your yellow record book to us (your hearing aid too if it requires a repair)
Request batteries and hearing aid tubes via our online order form
Contact us by telephone on 01786 434171 for all other enquiries