Booking an appointment
Keeping your hearing aids in good condition by maintaining and servicing the hearing aid is important to prevent breakage of your hearing aids or loss of clarity- find below some handy guides on caring for your hearing aids.
Useful Guides
Please find below some useful guides on how to re-tube, clean your ear mould and how to insert your hearing aid.
Try to keep your thin tube clean by wiping daily with a mild wet wipe such as a baby wipe. If the tubing is blocked or the earmould gets very dirty, you can clean it in the following way:
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Detach the tube from the hearing aid with a firm tug. Be careful not to bend the tubing as a bend will stop the sound from going through to your ear from the hearing aid. |
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You should have been provided with a cleaning tube at your fitting appointment. Insert this through the top detached tubing to clear any debris or wax. |
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Reattach the tubing by ‘clicking’ it together with the hearing aid. |
If you experience difficulty with your hearing aid, please contact your Audiology Department.
Inserting your ear mould and hearing aid
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Hold the ear mould between your finger and thumb as shown. Pull it back in line with your ear. |
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Put the part that goes down the ear canal (ear mould) into position. |
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Then tuck in the part that goes into the crease at the top of the ear. |
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Use your other hand to pull down your ear lobe. Push your ear mould firmly into place. |
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Correct: Correctly fitted hearing aid |
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Incorrect: Incorrectly fitted hearing aid ![]() |
Ear mould cleaning
Try to keep your earmould clean by wiping daily with a mild wet
wipe such as a baby wipe. If the tubing is blocked or the earmould
gets very dirty, you can clean it in the following way:
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Detach the ear mould from the hearing aid. |
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Wash the earmould (with the tubing still in its place) in lukewarm, soapy water. Rinse it well, shake the tubing to ensure no water is present or leave it to dry overnight. Then push the tubing back onto the hearing aid |
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This picture shows the earmould placed incorrectly on the hearing aid, it has been reattached the wrong way around |
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This picture shows the earmould placed correctly on the aid |
It is important to have the tubing in your earmould replaced every six
months. With time, the tubing will harden and this will affect the sound
quality. You are welcome to book an appointment at the Adult Hearing
Aid Centre to have your earmould retubed, however if you would like
to have a go yourself please ask your audiologist for some spare tubing
and see the instructions below.
Step 1
Detach your earmould from the transparent hook part of the hearing aid. Clean and dry your earmould to remove any dirt and grease.
Step 2
Pull the old tubing out of the earmould. Keep the old tube, you will need it later.
• If this proves difficult, try soaking the mould in hot (not boiling) water for 5 minutes
• Pliers can also be used to pull the tube out.
Step 3
Take a new piece of tubing and taper one end to make a thin point. Thread it through the hole in the earmould towards the part that goes down
your ear until it comes out the end.
Step 4
Using your fingers or the pliers pull the tube through until the bend reaches the mould and the tube turns directly upwards.
Step 5
Cut the tapered end off as close to the mould as possible. This can be done with scissors or a scalpel. Be careful not the cut the mould by accident!
Step 6
Use the old tube removed in step 2 to measure the length of the new tube
and cut where appropriate. Reattach to the hearing aid.
At the end
Your mould reattached to the hearing aid should look like this.
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Place the hearing aid behind your ear |
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Place the dome, at the tip of the tube, into your ear canal. |
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Press your finger over the tube and make sure the dome is fully inserted. If the dome is not fully inserted then you may not hear so well and the aid may make a whistling noise |
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Correct: Correctly fitted hearing aid. |
If you are unable to manage this yourself or with the help if family or friends, please post the hearing aid to us with a message inside that includes the name and address of the patient and the problem that they are having with hearing aid.
Booked hearing aid repairs
This is for patients whose hearing needs cannot be met by the non-face to face services we offer due to a significant level of hearing loss or additional needs. Booked appointments can also be made for those patients who are in urgent need of impressions taking of their ears so new moulds can be made.
Please contact us using the details below if you feel you require a booked repair appointment.
Telephone: 01782 674727
Text: 07768033637
Minicom: 01782 679445
Email: audiologydepartment.uhns@nhs.net
Referral Guidance
AQP Referrals continue to be accepted for patients living in the Stafford and Cannock areas. ('Choose and Book' will be available shortly). Please see fax and postal address below.
AQP is not available from UHNM in the North Staffs and Stoke CCG areas. However, referrals are accepted for patients with complex needs. Please contact the department for the referral form. These can be faxed to us on;
Fax 0843 6365084
or posted to :
The Hearing and Balance Centre
Royal Stoke University Hospital
Newcastle Road
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 6QG
Please note that patients requiring balance assessment should be referred to the ENT department in the first instance.