In short, last week I attended a very short, yet sweet appointment at my local audiology department, during which I was handed a brand new Siemens BE38 hearing aid. Yes, a turn up for the books indeed, considering how many times in the past I’d been told there are no more of these hearing aids available. Siemens reportedly had none, refurbished or otherwise, and neither did my audiology department. Suprisingly however I had received a phone call several weeks ago, from the head of the local audiology department, stating that miraculously the Siemens rep had found not one, but TWO of my beloved BE38s. Literally shocking, in a good way of course. My audiologist had gone straight ahead and ordered me the pair.

Miracles are alive and well in the NHS it would seem. All sarcasm aside, I am genuinely grateful. I am now able to relax in the knowledge that I can hear how I want/need to hear, and no longer need to feel as though I am being made more disabled by substandard digital hearing aids.

Clearly it would have been nice not to have found myself in this position in the first place, but I guess what’s done is done.

The important thing to remember here is that the NHS can still supply analogue hearing aids. The somewhat confusing matter is why audiologists across the country are telling their patients the opposite, however by using the information I’ve received, especially the email from the DOH (which clearly states the NHS can provide analogue aids to patients) it should be possible to argue the case for continued provision of analogue aids to those who want them.

If anyone would like copies of the letters/emails in order to use them in discussion with their own local audiology dept, please let me know.

Thanks for reading Xx.

I’ve received another letter from the head of audiology, and as you will have probably guessed from the title of this post, I’m very happy about what it says. I guess I should let you read it:

So, there we have it! On the basis that I have been able to find a company that still has analogue hearing aids for sale, the NHS say they are willing to pay for it! So, it looks like it’s not necessary for people just to have to put up with new hearing aids that they can’t get on with. It also looks as though the previous comment from the head of audiology in their letter dated 12th August that “once your hearing aid breaks/dies we will not be able to replace it for you and digital will be the only option” is not actually accurate, if you’re willing to kick up a bit of a fuss!!

Now, obviously this is all great news, however I remain cautious and won’t quite relax until I have a nice shiny new analogue hearing aid, paid for by Medway NHS!

There is also an issue that, as I’m sure the head of audiology knows, Siemens don’t actually make the BE38 hearing aid any more. However, I have now been and tried out another analogue hearing aid which sounds pretty much the same as my old one, and so much better than the digital aid I’ve been given. Oh yes.

So, I will shortly be writing back to audiology, giving the details of the company I have been to, and the hearing aid I wish them to purchase for me. As soon as I hear anything back, I’ll let you know.

I see no reason why other people should not be able to take the same approach as I have in their discussions with their own local audiology department. If you, or someone you know cannot get on with their new digital hearing aid, go back to your audiology department and insist that something is done. Do not take no for an answer. If you need to, make complaints, talk to your MP (although mine never did actually get in touch after their holiday!), contact whoever you can to let them know about the issue, and also please feel free to use my case as an example, and ask your audiologist why I’m allowed an analogue hearing aid on the NHS, but you’re not.

I’m not saying it will be easy. All the writing of letters, emails, phone calls, etc that we have had to do to get this far has taken up vast amounts of time, and caused lots of unnecessary stress. However, when I know I have a new analogue hearing aid, and that the NHS have paid for it, it will all be worthwhile!

I would strongly recommend that people contact their local hearing aid dispensers to see if any of them still supply analogue hearing aids. It would be great for different companies to start hearing that actually there is still a demand for analogue aids. If you don’t have any luck, try contacting Puretone Ltd who not only have stocks of various analogue models, but actually still manufacture them!

Oh, and finally, our little campaign got in the local paper which was published on 22nd September. Good stuff!

I’ll be in touch again as soon as I hear anything more. Thanks again for all your support, messages and comments.

XXX

The obvious step was a new letter to the head of audiology, asking for their opinion on the information we had received from the Department of Health, which clearly contradicts information they (the audiology department) have told us in the past.

Here’s what it said:

Firstly I would like to say that it was a pleasure to meet you at my last audiology appointment, and again I am very grateful to the support offered to me by student audiologist [name removed].

I fully appreciate the fact that you have only recently returned from annual leave, and consequently have not yet had the chance to respond to my previous letter. However, I felt it was important to write to you again because, as we discussed at my appointment, I have now received some information back from the Department of Health in reply to an email sent to them by my wife, Anna.

As I raised when we met, there are some discrepancies between the information in your previous letter, and the email received from the DOH. I have attached a copy of the email to this letter for your information, although there are certain points which I would like to highlight in the hope that you may be able to offer some further advice, and also your professional opinion on the matters raised.

Firstly, the email states that “The provision of digital aids is not compulsory and people can request to continue to use an analogue aid if they find they would prefer to”. Clearly I have requested that I be allowed to continue to use an analogue hearing aid, but have been told this is not possible. This is in spite of the fact that there is a hearing aid manufacturer in Rochester that still has analogue hearing aids in stock. It would be much appreciated if you could clarify this matter, and whether or not it is in any way possible for me to access these private hearing aids, but with NHS funding, considering I am not at all happy with the aids supplied by the NHS.

Secondly, it is claimed by the Department of Health that “The responsibility for commissioning NHS equipment locally lies with local NHS organisations. Accordingly, you may wish to contact your local primary care trust, NHS Medway, as it would be better placed to describe the local provision of analogue hearing aids”. Does this suggest therefore that should Medway PCT agree to purchase an analogue hearing aid for me, there is nothing stopping them from doing so?

The email also states that “Digital hearing aids are not used exclusively by the NHS and they are not suitable for all patients, as you state. As with any other treatment provided, hearing aids should be appropriate to a patient’s clinical requirements”. As we discussed when we met, some PCTs have moved over to digital more recently, although I would be very grateful if you could clarify firstly the statement that digital hearing aids are not used exclusively, and what else is available for patients within Medway who find that digital hearing aids are not suitable for them. Also, what alternatives are there to digital hearing aids for those patients who feel, like I do, that they have coped perfectly well with analogue hearing aids for many years and see no reason why they should have to accept digital aids, and go through a great deal of stress getting used to them.

I would also like to add that although I have now had further adjustments made to the digital hearing aid provided by your department I still fail to see any benefits it has over the analogue hearing aid I have been wearing for many years. The new digital aid leaves me in no doubt what so ever that, should I be forced to persevere with it, I will no longer be able to enjoy writing or performing music, or singing. The digital aid clearly tries to focus on the sound of conversation, which I am sure is of great benefit to many people. However whilst playing in a band, when it is necessary to hear all that is going on around me, the digital aid is simply not good enough. The new aid seems to count much of the music as background noise and consequently try to suppress it, especially once I start singing.

The new hearing aid has also left me questioning my ability to continue practising as a social worker. To be able to do my job, which involves many stressful and high conflict situations, it is essential that I have confidence in not just my hearing, but also my speech. Unfortunately with the new digital hearing aid I have neither. The sense of occlusion with the new aid is completely disorientating and I am frustrated to hear that there seems to be little that can be done, considering the extent of my hearing loss, that would help with this. As discussed at my last appointment, I have continued using my analogue aid for work, although this is clearly not a long term solution (even if it can be refurbished) considering that once it breaks it would appear there is no way of replacing it.

Finally I would like to thank you again for coming in at the end of my last appointment. It was good to meet you, and I am grateful for the fact that we are able to discuss these issues. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and hope that you will be able to share your opinion on the issues raised in both this, and my previous letter.

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Oates.

Obviously you wonderful people will be the first to know when I hear something back. Anna has also sent a new email to the Department of Health, raising similar issues, and asking why their response to this situation is completely different to the response from the audiology department. I’ll post this, or a link to it, very shortly.

Oh, and I nearly forgot. The RNID still haven’t responded to my enquiry, sent to them on 9th August. Deaf People can no doubt breathe a sigh of relief at having such an accessible and committed “Royal National Institution” to support them when it really counts!

Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated.
XXX

Firstly, after receiving a reply from the head of the local Audiology department, it was only polite to send them another little letter, which said:

“Many thanks for your letter dated 12th August 2010, which I was very pleased to receive.

I would also like to thank you for clarifying for me who made the decision to phase out analogue hearing aids. I have now been able to look into the Modernisation of Hearing Aid Services project, and although this has been very informative, it has nonetheless raised some further questions.

Firstly, I remain unclear about the level of consultation that took place in relation to the plan to phase out analogue hearing aids. You mention in your letter that you “had no say in the phasing out of analogue hearing aids”. Does this mean therefore that Audiology departments were not consulted about this matter? During my recent research I have discussed the matter with several audiology professionals, who have stated that they wish they were still able to provide analogue aids, as well as digital, which in their opinion are not suitable for all people with a hearing loss. I would also like to ask what the opinion of your team is regarding this matter, and would they prefer to still be in the position of being able to provide analogue aids to those patients they assess as needing them?

As I mentioned in my previous letter I do not recall receiving any communication, either back in the year 2000 when this project commenced, or since, asking for my opinion on this matter. I notice in the letter to Heads of Audiology Services from the Department of Health on 14th Feb 2002 it states that “Interim reports are very positive. They show that people with digital hearing aids are experiencing improved hearing, and that they are wearing their hearing aids more than people with analogue hearing aids”. However I would be very interested to know on what scale any research or consultation with patients took place.

Clearly digital hearing aids are of benefit to many people, however I find it extremely concerning that in campaigning to ensure that everyone can have access to digital hearing aids, an entire section of the deaf community, ie those who do not want, or cannot get on with digital hearing aids, have effectively had their needs ignored and have been left worse off as a result. It is also worrying that the RNID took the lead on the implementation of a project which has had a negative impact on many of the people it should be supporting. Surely there would have been no harm at all in campaigning for digital aids to be available to those that need/want them, whilst also supporting those who wished to continue using analogue hearing aids.

Please note, I do not expect you or your department to be able to answer all of the issues raised in this letter, and consequently I have also written to the RNID, and my local MP who has forwarded the issue to the Department of Health. It would however be very helpful for me to have your opinion on the matters raised.

As a result of my own experiences recently, and consequent research I have been doing, I have started a campaign to make analogue hearing aids available again, on the NHS. Although the campaign is still in its very early stages, we have already received support from not only Deaf people, but also friends, family members, and some audiology professionals. As you acknowledge in your letter there have been many patients who have found the transfer to digital hearing aids extremely difficult, and this has no doubt been exacerbated by the fact that they have had no choice in the matter. I have also been made aware of many people who have been completely unable to get along with digital aids, to the extent that they now wear no aids at all. I can see no reason why it is not possible for both analogue and digital aids to be available, and this is what the campaign aims to achieve. If there is any support that you or your department would be able to offer, it would be gratefully received.

I should also inform you that I have now been back to your department for adjustments to be made to the digital hearing aid. I would like to raise again that I feel the support offered to me by the audiologists I have seen has been to an excellent standard. However, this does not change the fact that at present I have experienced no benefits of the digital hearing aid, and day to day life remains much more of a struggle than with analogue. I appreciate that in part this is due to the fact that I have been using analogue hearing aids for so long, however my opinion remains the same that analogue hearing aids have served me extremely well, and I see no reason I should have to change, other than the fact that this has been dictated to me by the Department of Health.

At the present time I am waiting for further information, from the RNID, the Department of Health, and other people I have contacted, and feel there would most likely be little point in us meeting at this stage. However, please feel free to let me know if you feel differently about this, and it would be much appreciated if we could continue to communicate by letter.

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Oates.”

But then, what felt like only seconds later, this email arrived, from the Department of Health, who had been made aware of our campaign following various emails Anna has sent to different MPs and the like:

“Thank you for your email of 10 August to Lynne Featherstone about the provision of analogue hearing aids. Your letter was forwarded to the Department of Health as the issues you raise fall within its remit and I have been asked to reply.

I note your concerns about the provision of analogue hearing aids. The provision of digital aids is not compulsory and people can request to continue to use an analogue aid if they find they would prefer to. However, the Department acknowledges that the availability of analogue hearing aids is now more limited due to manufacturers’ focus on digital models.

The responsibility for commissioning NHS equipment locally lies with local NHS organisations. Accordingly, you may wish to contact your local primary care trust, NHS Medway, as it would be better placed to describe the local provision of analogue hearing aids. The contact details are available at:

http://www.medwaypct.nhs.uk/Contact_us.

More generally, digital audiology services were introduced into the NHS as part of the Modernising Hearing Aid Services programme in response to problems with previous NHS hearing aids services and to demand from patients for access to new hearing technologies.

Digital hearing aids are not used exclusively by the NHS and they are not suitable for all patients, as you state. As with any other treatment provided, hearing aids should be appropriate to a patient’s clinical requirements.

Digital hearing aids offer a number of advantages over analogue hearing aids. They can be set to match more precisely the needs of an individual, are able to adjust to different environments, are more effective in noisy places and are less likely to produce feedback. As they have fewer moving parts than analogue hearing aids, they are also likely to be more reliable. However, digital hearing aids can take extra time to fit and tune to users’ requirements.

Many digital hearing aids do not have a volume control because they are able to match sound amplification to the level of a patient’s hearing loss.

As you are aware, patients who move from an analogue hearing aid to a digital aid may experience unease due to the differences between the two types of aid. It is typical for users to require adjustments to their aid as they become used to its characteristics.

Patients should discuss any concerns they have about their hearing aid with the audiologist and healthcare team concerned.

I realise that this reply may be disappointing, but hope it is helpful in clarifying the Department’s position.”

Actually, disappointing is not the word. I’d probably use “cut and paste job” to describe it better!
But anyway, it does raise a couple of interesting questions. For example, if the “provision of analogue hearing aids is not compulsory and people can request to continue to use an analogue aid if they find they would prefer to” then why am I, and many others across the UK being told exactly the opposite by the local Audiology departments?

Also, to highlight the comment that “ the Department acknowledges that the availability of analogue hearing aids is now more limited due to manufacturers’ focus on digital models”. Actually, it would appear from our own research (such as talking to hearing aid manufacturers) that the reason they no longer focus on analogue aids is because the NHS (the biggest purchaser of hearing aids in the world) doesn’t want them! Again, it is unlikely that if there was demand for analogue hearing aids from such a big purchaser as the NHS, that the manufacturers would ignore this.

But anyway, yes, I won’t bother going through the whole letter, which you can read and pick apart yourself. Apart from one last quote: “ Digital hearing aids are not used exclusively by the NHS and they are not suitable for all patients, as you state”. I’m hoping it will come in useful to have that clearly pointed out in an email from the DOH, when clearly the NHS seem to disagree, leading to their subsequent blanket prescription of “digital for all”.

I do wish we’d received this email prior to responding to the head of Audiology, but not to worry! One of our next steps will be sending both the NHS and DOH’s letters to each other, requesting that they comment on the clear discrepancies between each other’s claims. Should be fun.

On a more positive note, Hearing Times have been extremely supportive of our campaign, and have included a short paragraph about what we’re doing in their recent email to members, meaning the campaign has now been pointed out to approx 20,000 members of theirs. We are very, very grateful and look forward to their October issue, which we are told will feature our campaign, along with the opinions of other’s involved, in more detail.

We haven’t heard back from our own MP, Rehman Chishti yet, apart from the response from his office manager, featured in a previous post. We assume he is still off on his hols, but hope he gets back to us soon.

Also, talking of people who haven’t come back to us yet, we have still heard no response from the RNID. Having already been labelled an “RNID slapper”, I would like to point out that I have no reason to be anti-RNID, other than the fact that as yet they have completely failed to show their willingness to support me, as a deaf person, and other than saying they would be passing my email on to a different department, have failed to come back to me at all!

Well, there’s lots more to be getting on with, although unfortunately most of this will have to wait for the next week or so. Finally, thanks again to everyone who has joined the group on Facebook, and shown their support, either on Facebook or elsewhere. Please keep suggesting the group to friends and family and whoever you think might be interested! Also, if you find yourself with a spare few minutes, please feel free to contact your own MP, or local NHS, or anyone else, to let them know about our campaign and get them on board.

Thanks for reading XX.

There’s been quite a lot going on since my last post, so I thought it would be a good idea to give an update. Firstly, the campaign has continued to gain new members and I would like to thank you all for joining, and suggesting the group to friends and I hope you will continue to contribute.

So, NEWS………
We have been contacted by Hearing Times who have said they would like to include an article about our campaign in their October issue, which is going to be focusing on Audiology. This is obviously fantastic news, and we hope it will increase awareness of our campaign, and hopefully get some more people on board. The Editor has informed us here at Operation Analogue HQ that they will also be speaking to Audiologists and generally having a bit more of a look into the issue to get more info for the Article………. Would be nice to see it recognised that some people just cannot get on with digital, and that they need their analogues back!

There have also been a couple of emails received from the various charities I have contacted about the campaign. UK Deaf Sport have replied to say unfortunately they are not able to offer any support right now. However, they did say that this is due to the fact that the Government have stopped funding them, so it’s difficult to be too harsh on them for needing to concentrate on their own battles for the time being. Sense -an organisation supporting Deafblind People – have forwarded the email to their Citizens and Rights Team, which sounds a bit more promising! Sense have said they are also currently helping someone else who has been left worse off by changes in hearing aids that are being given out by the NHS, so it would be a real help if they would come on board with out campaign to keep analogue hearing aids available!

Clearly there are many charities and organisations that haven’t come back to us yet, so hopefully we’ll hear something soon (and we know that people have opened the emails!)

Yesterday a response from the Head of Audiology was received, in reply to the letter I sent them (featured on a previous blog post). Here’s what it said:

So, as it turns out, this is not going to be just a battle with the local Audiology department, but with the Department of Health! It’s also interesting to read that the RNID (Royal National Institute for Digital???) actually took the lead on the Modernisation of Hearing Aid Services back in 2000, and whilst doing so managed to completely ignore the needs of a part of the Deaf community who did not want, need, or could not get along with, digital hearing aids. No wonder then that the RNID haven’t yet responded to my email to them asking why some deaf people deserve their support more than others! This letter also made me wonder what the feeling amongst audiologists might be about the fact that they can no longer provide analogue aids, even to people who they feel would benefit more from them (if indeed they had no say in the matter of switching over)……….

It would obviously be a great step to start getting some more audiology professionals on board, although I do know we already have some on the Facebook Group, and there’s also been some good support from Audiologists on the RNID Forum

Anyways, it turned out to be a good job that prior to getting any response from Audiology, Anna had already contacted the local MP Rehman Chishti, and today we received this letter from his office manager (he’s off on his holidays, you see!)

So there you have it. There’s lots happening, and also lots and lots to do. We plan to keep going, letting as many people know about our campaign as possible. We’re working on lots of leads at the moment, and will let you know as and when things come together. It would be much appreciated if you’d keep trying to get more people on board with the campaign, and if you have a spare half an hour please feel free to spend it writing to your MP about this matter. The more people hear about us, the more effect we can have.

Thanks so much for reading, see you soon.

X

Hi,

Re: The Campaign to Keep Analogue Hearing Aids Available on the NHS

I am writing to you in order to inform you of a new campaign that has been set up recently; the campaign to keep analogue hearing aids available on the NHS. I have worn one analogue hearing aid since I was approximately six years old, and am now 29. My hearing loss is described by my audiologist as a “Sloping high frequency loss” which is severe to profound in the higher frequencies.

Analogue hearing aids have greatly assisted me in my life, enabling me to complete a mainstream education, and obtain many qualifications such as GCSEs, A Levels, and a professional qualification in Social Work. I currently work full time as a Social Worker for the Local Authority, specialising in working with children with Disabilities. Analogue aids have also enabled me to learn to play the guitar and sing, and I am currently part of a band playing gigs around my local area.

Although I do not dispute the fact that digital hearing aids have a lot of impressive features, and can be extremely helpful to some people, I am very concerned about the fact that people are not being given the choice between digital and analogue hearing aids, even if they have used analogue aids for many years, or are unable to get along with their digital counterparts.

Recently it has been necessary for me to start changing over from analogue to digital hearing aids. This is due to the fact that my current analogue aid is now several years old, and no longer functioning properly. Trying to get used to digital hearing aids has been extremely stressful for me, to the extent that I have had to take time off work, and have been unable to make music. Thankfully I have been able to keep my analogue hearing aid for the time being, although when this breaks, as things stand at present, I will have to move over completely to digital.

As a result of my concerns about this issue in relation to my own hearing, my wife and I started researching online, to find other people’s experiences. It soon came to light that there are a very large number of people in very similar circumstances to my own. Although it is generally accepted that all digital hearing need adjustment after the first fitting in order to improve the sound, we have found a number of people who have been struggling with their digital hearing aids for years and still are not happy or comfortable with them, and continue to wish that analogue hearing aids would once again be available to them. There are stories of people who can no longer recognise the sound of their young child crying, and others who can no longer enjoy hobbies or interests which were so easily accessible to them with the use of analogue aids. There are also many people, myself included, who are extremely upset, confused and frustrated about being told that they are no longer able to access the same type of treatment for their hearing loss, when it has served them so well for many years. Unfortunately we have found many people who have grown tired of arguing with the NHS about this issue, and now feel they have no choice but to put up with substandard digital aids which give them a lower quality of life than they had previously.

At the present time, considering that we have only started this campaign very recently, I am unclear as to the exact reasoning behind the decision to phase out analogue hearing aids. I am also unclear why it has not been possible for audiology departments to offer both analogue and digital aids to patients, depending on what suited them best. Another issue I am looking into is to what extent audiology patients were consulted about these issues, as I know I was not consulted about this by my local audiology department, having been a user of analogue hearing aids for approximately 23 years.

I am writing to a number of organisations involved in supporting deaf or hard of hearing people, in order to spread awareness of the campaign to keep analogue hearing aids available on the NHS. It would be much appreciated if you could respond to this message, and hopefully provide some answers to the following questions:

Firstly, what is your organisation’s opinion with regards to whether or not it would be in the best interests of deaf and hard of hearing people for the NHS to continue to offer access to both digital and analogue hearing aids?

Do you know of any NHS trusts that still provide analogue aids to audiology patients?

Would your organisation be willing to support our campaign, through informing your members and sharing information about our cause? (We would be very interested to hear from other people who have also struggled with this issue).

Alternatively would your organisation be interested in setting up your own campaign for this issue?

Finally, it would be greatly appreciated if you could offer us any advice with regards to other people or organisations we could approach.

Since starting this campaign, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received, and feel certain that this will continue to grow and develop. So far, people who have offered support have included not only deaf people but also family and friends, audiology professionals, and political activists. It has also recently been confirmed that a newspaper for deaf people will be featuring information about our campaign. This has been achieved in less than a week, and we continue to look at further ways of expanding. Any support your organisation could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Apologies for the length of this message, but I wanted to ensure you had the background information about the reasons for starting this campaign. You can find further information via the following internet links:

Facebook Group for the campaign:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=116042521781196

Thread on the RNID forum:

http://www.rnid.org.uk/community/forums/products/analogue_hearing_aids_/

There is also a blog post by my wife, Anna, who is supporting me very heavily with this campaign:

http://missuso.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/nhs-turns-a-deaf-ear-to-the-needs-of-hearing-aid-users-2/

I hope to hear from you in the near future, and also hope that we may be able to work together promote this issue and ensure deaf and hard of hearing people who prefer analogue hearing aids can continue to access them.

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Oates

And finally, here is a list of who I’ve sent it to. If anyone has any other ideas of good places to get in touch with, please let me know:

Deaf Sign

UK Deaf Sport

Deaf Action

Hearing Dogs for the Deaf

University of Bristol Centre for Deaf Studies

Royal Association for the Deaf

Sense

Birmingham Institute for the Deaf

Signature

Deaf Way

Deaf Plus

British Deaf Association

British Deaf Sports Council

Deaf Blind UK
Association of Lip Speakers

Deaf Broadcasting Council

Deaf Education Through Talking and Listening

Deafness Research UK

Hearing Concern LINK

National Association of Deafened People

National Deaf Children’s Society

Sign Health

Sign Station

Age UK

British Academy of Audiology

British Society of Audiology

British Association of Educational Audiologists

British Association of Teachers for the Deaf

British Association of Hearing Aid Audiologists

XXXX

Anyway, I think this letter to the head of my local audiology department explains the rest:

6^th August 2010

Dear Miss ,

On 3^rd August 2010 I attended Audiology at Medway Hospital in order to firstly have a hearing test, and then to have a digital hearing aid fitted. Although I was extremely happy with the service from both the Student Audiologist, and the supervising Senior Audiologist, I nonetheless feel the need to contact you to discuss firstly my disappointment with the aid itself, and also the fact that I have been forced, by Medway NHS, to give up my analogue hearing aid and start wearing a digital one. For your information, I was told during my last appointment that I have a “sloping high frequency hearing loss”, described as severe to profound in the higher frequencies.

I was given my first hearing aid at the age of approximately six years. It would appear my hearing was damaged whilst suffering from an illness some years earlier. Although the initial period of adapting to having a hearing aid was difficult, this was bearable due to the fact that there was a noticeable, positive difference. I was suddenly able to hear, and interact with my peers to a much greater extent, and was also able to benefit more from my education.

I am now 29 years old, and have worn my analogue hearing aid all day, every day since first being fitted with one, approximately 23 years ago. In that time I have managed to complete my education in a mainstream setting, obtain ten GCSE’s, 2 A Levels, and a professional Social Work qualification (Diploma in Social Work). I am currently employed by the Local Authority as a Social Worker, specialising in working with disabled children. I have also been able to learn to play guitar, and sing in bands and have played live in front of crowds of people.

All of these achievements have been made possible for me due to my analogue hearing aid, which I have always been extremely grateful for. Without the hearing aid, I am unable to hold a conversation without lip reading, let alone perform in a band. Also, without my aid all I really hear is lower frequencies, therefore my hearing aid has been absolutely vital in giving me access to the world around me. I am extremely frustrated therefore to hear that it would appear analogue hearing aids are no longer deemed by the Medway NHS Trust as being adequate, and have consequently been replaced by digital models. I would be very interested to know what level of consultation took place with patients before the decision to phase out analogue aids was made? As a user of audiology services for the past 23 years, I certainly do not recall being asked what my thoughts on this matter were. It would also be interesting to know why it is seemingly impossible to supply both analogue and digital aids.

I was first told about the fact that analogue hearing aids were being phased out by Medway about two years ago, during a visit to your department. The audiologist spent some time on that occasion trying to set me up with various different digital models, before eventually admitting that actually none of the available models were quite suited to my particular type or level of loss. I regret the fact that I did not dedicate more time to fighting the decision to switch to digital at that point. I guess to some extent I hoped the problem would go away, but this is obviously not the case.

Since being given my new digital hearing aid, I have had to take two days sick leave from work due to the fact that I quite simply could not cope with the change in how the world sounded. This has caused me vast amounts of stress and anxiety, not least due to feeling as though I am letting both my colleagues and services users down by not being available to them. In my opinion this would have been completely unnecessary if analogue hearing aids were still readily available to patients of audiology departments. Using the new aid I cannot bear the sound of my own voice. Other’s voices sound distorted and unclear. Ambient noise within rooms has been suppressed, leaving what remains sounding false, as though being heard through headphones. Other random sounds appear highly amplified for no apparent reason. A trip to the local supermarket was completely unbearable, meaning I had to remove the aid completely. The only positive in this situation was that thankfully I didn’t need to speak to anyone within the shop, as this would have been impossible.

I am very grateful that at the appointment I attended I was told I could keep my analogue aid. Otherwise I would be completely lost, unable to go to work, engage in conversation, play guitar or cope in general with day to day life, and all because of a decision that was made on my behalf (yet without my consultation), that digital hearing aids are better than their analogue predecessors.

I fully understand how it is often necessary, when someone has a new digital hearing aid, to have further adjustments made at a later date. I also know that it takes time for the brain to adjust to changes that are made. However I do not feel able or willing to adjust to changes in my hearing which in this instance equate to accepting less than I had before. So far, being denied access to analogue hearing aids, and having to accept digital devices has made me more disabled than I previously was. In my opinion, changes in a patients treatment should be in their best interests, whereas this particular change is most certainly not.

I have recently been made aware of some cases where refurbished analogue hearing aids have been given to patients. It would be helpful to know why this has not been offered to me, when I have clearly expressed that I do not wish to change to digital. I am also aware, and a quick search online clearly shows, that there are a lot of people who continue to struggle with digital hearing aids, and would be ecstatic to have their analogues aids back. I would be very interested to know what plans the NHS has for those people, myself included who do not feel they are suited to digital hearing aids, and perhaps most important those who want to stick to what has served them very well over many years. The website for the NHS clearly shows the slogan “Your Health, Your Choices”. Why does this not apply to hearing aid users?

I apologise for the length of this letter, but hope it has helped to show you the extent of my frustration with the situation I now find myself in. Having worked hard, and achieved a lot, with my analogue hearing aids I now feel as though it is being assumed that I am not capable of choosing how to cope with my disability. My analogue hearing aids have served me extremely well, and I hope you can see why I am unhappy about having to change to what, in my opinion, is a substandard replacement.

I hope you will find the time to respond to this letter, and give your opinions on some of the issues I have raised. I would also be happy to meet with you to discuss the way forward on these matters, if you wish to do so.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Oates.

This letter should now have been received by the audiology department. In the past week  here at Operation Analogue HQ we have been working hard to get a campaign going to get the NHS to keep analogue hearing aids available on the NHS. Much more information can be found on Mrs O’s Blog, this Facebook page and this thread on the RNID forum

We would love to have you on board.

Thank you so much for reading. There will be more news very soon.

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