We offer a home visit service which can be arranged for patients who are unable to leave the house and travel to the department. Hearing assessments and hearing aid fittings are the main appointments we offer as home visits.
Where possible, if it is a routine service or repair of the hearing aid(s), this should be done via our postal repair service, or a relative/friend/carer can bring the hearing aid in to the repair appointment on your behalf.
If you are a new patient to Leicester Royal Infirmary Hearing Services Department and you need a home visit appointment then a referral from your GP. A member of the hearing services team will visit you at home to assess your hearing and if required, further appointments will be arranged to fit your hearing aid(s).
Existing patients cannot request a home visit appointment, we require a letter from your GP to confirm that you are housebound before a appointment is given.
What shall I do before my Domiciliary/home visit appointment?
Prior to your Domiciliary Visit
- Make sure both ears are clear of wax (if in doubt please have them checked by a GP or nurse).
- If you need glasses for reading please make sure you have them to hand.
- For the appointment, a quiet environment is required with easy access to plug sockets.
- Staff may need access to hand washing facilities as hand hygiene is a very important factor in controlling infection.
- If you or a member of your family have experienced flu like symptoms, diarrhoea or vomiting please let us know. We cannot visit until you are clear of symptoms.
- If you wish to have, or require, a friend/carer/ family member with you for your home visit, please make them aware of the details of your appointment.
If the appointment date is inconvenient, please phone the department on 0116 258 5120, so that we can reschedule it
What will happen at the Domiciliary hearing assessment appointment?
A member of the hearing services team will visit you at your home. Usually appointments will last up to 1 hour.
During the visit, the audiologist will:
- Ask you about your medical history and any difficulties you are experiencing with your hearing
- Examine your ears
- Perform a hearing test
- Discuss the results with you and hearing technology options
- If hearing aids are chosen then impression of the ear(s) will be taken
A further visit will be booked to fit the hearing aid(s) but may not be booked on the day of the hearing assessment.
What will happen at the Domiciliary hearing aid fitting appointment?
A member of the hearing services team will visit you at your home. Usually appointments will last up to 1 hour.
During the visit, the audiologist will:
- Examine your ears
- Fit your ear moulds and hearing aids
- Adjust the sound quality of the aids to your preference
- Show you how to use your hearing aids
Depending on your response the audiologist with either arrange a home visit for a follow-up appointment or a telephone review to check how your getting on with your hearing aids.
Am I eligible for a Domiciliary/Home visit?
If the answer to any of the following questions is YES then you are not eligible for a home visit:
- Do you attend any hospital/GP appointments?
- Do you leave the home for any other reason?
- Do you have friends/relatives that can take you to a clinic?
- Is there an ambulance transport service or other local agency that take you to a clinic?
- Are you physically able to travel by public transport?
-
Links for additional help
1. Services for deaf and hard of hearing people in Leicestershire:
- Telephone: 0116 305 0004
- Minicom: 0116 305 9376
- Fax: 0116 305 0010
- SMS: 0794 9633 788
- Website: www.leics.gov.uk/physical_sensory_hearing
2.SENCE (national charity that supports and campaigns for people who are deafblind)
- Telephone: 0845 127 0060
- Textphone: 0845 127 0062
- Website: www.sence.org.uk
