How to get your NHS Hearing aid batteries in Derby and Derbyshire

With the country in lockdown and many people unable to leave their homes we felt that it would be a good time to contact each of the providers to determine how patients can get support with the provision of batteries.

This is the picture we have with regards to batteries so far. Please note that patients can only get batteries from whichever hearing aid provider that they initially chose.

CamTAD Hearing Support can post batteries for Derby Hospitals patients or can help High Street NHS Hearing Aid provider patients contact their provider for them.

Specsavers Derby

You can still get through to the hearing care department at the Derby Store on 01332 294939 and they are sending batteries out by courier when requested. You do have to navigate some additional recorded messages about store closures but you can stay on line and choose hearing aids as an option.

Specsavers Ilkeston

The Specsavers Ilkeston store is still open and people can collect batteries in person, they advise to call them first on 01159 441401. They will have them ready to hand over at the door. They do have arrangements to get batteries to their patients when requested and will either hand deliver or post out depending on location.

Scrivens

Scrivens have a recorded message to say that all their stores are closed. There is no option to leave a message but there is an option to email them at customercare@scrivens.com. We emailed them and they responded with a generic email that states: All our customers who already receive batteries through the post, will have them delivered as normal.

The Outside Clinic

This was the easiest provider to get through to. They answered the call first time, they spoke very clearly and they are happy to send out batteries by request for their patients. Phone 0800 954 9107.

Mediscan

Following their usual recorded messages we were informed that nobody was available and asked to leave a message, we will update this once we have received a response.

Derby Hospitals Audiology

Patients from Derby Hospitals can call 01332 785345 and leave a message, batteries are usually sent out within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Alternatively patients can request batteries by email on dhft.audiologydepartment@nhs.net (Batteries through the hospital post system can take up to 2 weeks).

Chesterfield Royal Hospital Audiology

Patients in North Derbyshire can call Chesterfield Royal Hospital on 01246 514403, Monday to Friday, 8.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm to request batteries or email crhft.audiology@nhs.net and they will post them out. ​

Patients from Glossop must contact Tameside Audiology.

 

CamTAD Hearing Support Coronavirus Update 24/03/2020

We are asking all our clients not to attempt to travel to any of our clinics or to our office at the hospital. We have had people calling to see if our clinics are open.

All of our community services are now suspended but our staff, who are working from home are available for advice, for a chat or to organise replacement batteries or tubing by post.

Our telephone lines have been diverted to our mobiles and we have extended our opening hours so that we can be reached, Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm. We are attempting to answer all calls as they come in but if you are prompted to leave a message please ensure you leave a number as your number isn’t displayed when you call.

The Government advice from the Prime Minister’s announcement at 8.30pm on the 23rd March 2020 was as follows:

• Stay at home – no unnecessary journeys or social contact
• Only leave home for essential shopping, medical needs and one form of exercise per day. Always following good hand hygiene and social distancing guidelines
• Use online retailers to deliver essentials wherever possible
• You can travel to and from work if absolutely necessary
• Public gatherings of more than two people are banned – excluding people you live with
• Don’t visit other people’s houses or socialise outside your home
• If unwell, isolate yourself and your family

Any changes to our services will be announced on here.

Support for your hearing aids during the Isolation period

As a charity supporting people with hearing loss we know how distressing it can be when your hearing aids stop working.

Although our clinics are currently closed we can still offer advice and support and we will try and support those whose hearing aids have broken or have become faulty.

We are working with the Derby Hospitals Audiology Service to ensure that we can keep people hearing even if they are isolated at home.

For a few simple to use guides please click on the following links:

How to change your battery

How to check if a hearing aid is working

How to insert a hearing aid with a thin tube

How to insert a hearing aid with an ear mould

How to take a hearing aid mould out of the ear

We are also offering to post out tubing and batteries as well as helping with more urgent repairs.

Major disruption to services due to Coronavirus

Following the announcements by the Government  on Monday 16th March 2020 we have had to make the difficult decision to suspend all our Community Outreach sessions including Hearing Aid Clinics and Coffee Mornings.

Please be assured that we will restart these services at the earliest SAFE opportunity.

We are still available for the following services, please call us on 01332 258143, text us on 07788 715705 or email us at camtad@camtad.org

• Our office opening hours will be extended to facilitate greater availability of telephone and email advice allowing for timely responses.
• Batteries and replacement tubing can be requested by phone
• Urgent repair appointments may be available by contacting the numbers above
• Support to make appointments with your Hearing Aid provider

As we are a charity based in the hospital but with outreach services in a variety of community facilities we need to consider a range of advice from National and local agencies.

• NHS
• University Hospitals of Derby and Burton
• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• UK Government COBRA

As a small local charity supporting people with hearing loss we are aware that many of our clients are at an age which makes them more at risk of health complications.

There are a number of factors that may impact upon our sessions in the Community including the venues that we use and the availability of our volunteers to deliver the service.  We will keep this page regularly updated for you.

Posters will be displayed at our venues detailing any changes.

Current information and advice regarding  the coronavirus can be found on the NHS website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

 

 

 

The Ear Foundation in Nottingham set to Close

We  are sad to hear that The Ear Foundation, a charity based in Nottingham which supports the Deaf and Hearing Impaired will close it’s doors for the last time this week.

Please see the following article on their website:

https://www.earfoundation.org.uk/news/articles/675

There is some good news in that some of their staff members are looking at setting up a new charity to take on some of the work that will be lost by the closure of the Ear Foundation, a charity that celebrated it’s 30th Anniversary last year.

 

Subtitled Screenings at local cinemas

Going to the cinema can be great fun but if you struggle with hearing loss it can be really difficult to understand speech over all the effects and soundtracks.

Captioned/subtitled screenings can really help and a lot of cinemas now offer a variety of films with subtitles, although some may only have one or two screenings over a week.

Below is a summary of the subtitled screenings for this coming week as an example and how you can check for upcoming screenings.

Derby QUAD

Derby QUAD have a newsletter that you can sign up to to receive an email each week notifying you of upcoming films. Please click on the link to see a sample of the newsletter and to register.

This week they have Emma, the Color Out Of Space and Jumanji The Next Level with subtitles.

Click here to see QUAD’s Subtitled Screenings

Odeon Derby

Odeon have a search facility where you can search for captioned/subtitled films at the cinema of your choice.

This week they have screenings of The Invisible Man, Downhill and Dark Waters as well as Parasite (Foreign Language Film) and two Kids screenings Playing With Fire and Addams Family (animated).

Click here to search for subtitled screenings at Odeon Derby

Odeon Swadlincote have screenings of Sonic and Invisible Man

Odeon Mansfield have screenings of Sonic, Dark Waters and Invisible Man

Showcase Cinemas

Sadly we couldn’t find any particular info on Subtitled screenings at Showcase Cinemas and their website was not easy to navigate when searching for these particular screenings.

Updated Resource Centre Equipment Sheets now available

CamTAD Hearing Support’s Resource Centre is one of the most important Resources for people with hearing loss locally. The room is stocked with a wide range of assistive equipment that is available for people to try, free of charge. Our experienced staff and volunteers are on hand to advise on the most appropriate equipment available to suit each individual.

Importantly, we do not sell any equipment. This means that we can give you impartial advice with no pressure to buy.

All of the equipment provided has been hand-picked by our dedicated team to offer the best value and most popular products and our stock is regularly updated.

Rather than send out large, heavy catalogues, we produce our own sheets allowing us to reduce the amount of wasted paper, but also to ensure that we can show you the best prices and products from a range of providers.

These are now available any time on the Equipment tab on our website, you can also pick up printed copies from our waiting area at the CamTAD Office or we can post these out to you on request.

Please click on the links below to see each current sheet:

Equipment sheet – Alarm Clocks v7

Equipment sheet – Alerters for Carers v3

Equipment sheet – Conversation amplifiers v8

Equipment sheet – Corded telephones v6

Equipment sheet – Cordless telephones v6

Equipment sheet – Doorbells v6

Equipment sheet – Mobiles and Accessories v7

Equipment sheet – Tinnitus relief v5

Equipment sheet – TV and Music products v7