Why wont the nhs give my chap a hearing aid?

Question:

hes got perferated ear drums, they are allways blocked with smelly sludge and he has to try and pop them by blowing whilst holding his nose to clear them a bit. when he asks the doctor or hospital for one they say theres no point so they give him antibiotics and drops wich do no good. obviously he is very deaf..

Answers:
There is such a thing as a bone conduction hearing aid that could help. Behind the ear aids might work too. Keep pressuring the doctors to do something and you will get what you want. Sadly, the medical profession lose interest if they cannot solve the problem medically. You need to keep pressuring them if you want some help.

I can't speak for the NHS since I am in the states, but your "chap" has something called a conductive hearing loss which means there is "stuff" blocking the sound from getting to his hearing nerve. People who have this problem can't wear traditional hearing aids because blocking the ear canals with the ear molds actually creates a more favorable condition for the infection to get worse.

However, there is a device called a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Appliance) which is surgically implanted in the skull for this condition. It uses tiny vibrations to conduct the sound to the hearing nerve without having to go through the ears and getting blocked. All of the people I know in England who have this device have gotten it in Manchester, I think there is some sort of specialty center there.

Why wont the nhs give my chap a hearing aid?

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