Tinnitus and hyperacusis therapy service

Although there is no definitive cure for Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis, people often benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and cope well with their symptoms. All members of the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic are committed to providing the best possible care for patients.

Following therapy you are likely to:

• Gain more confidence and become less troubled by your Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis.
• Feel more supported.
• Have a clearer knowledge of Tinnitus or Hyperacusis and why you have developed it.
• Think about your Tinnitus less often.
• Be able to hear and communicate better in everyday life.
• Cope better in environments that you previously struggled with due to noise.
• Understand when and how to protect your ears.
• Be more empowered and able to cope by yourself.

 

This is not a diagnostic service and referrals for therapy are accepted from the following:

• GPs
• ENTs
• Audio-vestibular physicians
• Neurologists
• Psychiatrists
• Mental health professionals
• Speech and language therapists
• Audiologists
• Paediatricians
• Occupational therapists
• Other relevant sources

Team Leader

Jenni Stevens

Team Members

Viveka Owen

Jemma Hatton

Jennifer Whiffin

Judith Ballinger (Research Assistant)

Lizette Brand

Samar Ahmed

Deepti Paidimarri

Dr.Hashir Aazh is the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic team-leader and has extensive clinical and research experience in the field of therapy for adults and children with Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis. All members of the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic are qualified audiologists who have undertaken specialist training in providing various therapeutic techniques in order to facilitate effective management of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis.

What our recent service evaluation survey says:

This survey assessed patient’s views about the effectiveness of audiologist-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for management of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis. Of 75 patients who received audiologist-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a part of their Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis rehabilitation, 56% ranked its effectiveness as 5/5 (where 1 is no effect and 5 is very effective) and 29% ranked it as 4/5. Patients’ feedback about audiologist-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy did not differ significantly between patients with Tinnitus only and those with Hyperacusis (with or without Tinnitus). For more detail about the outcome of the survey click here.

The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic has strong links with consultants and specialists in other departments within the Royal Surrey County hospital. This ensures efficient and fast forward referrals (when required) to Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), audio-vestibular medicine, neurology, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics, private hearing aid clinic (HearWear), speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, pain management and other related hospital services.

Our goals are listed below:

• To provide high quality therapy for people experiencing Tinnitus and Hyperacusis related distress.
• To ensure an excellent experience for patients referred to us.
• To raise public awareness.
• To conduct research with the aim of exploring effective interventions that can reduce distress in people with Tinnitus/Hyperacusis.

The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic is based in the Audiology Department at Royal Surrey County Hospital. Over 30 audiologists work within the Audiology Department and provide a comprehensive range of audiological investigations for adults and children, electrophysiological tests, newborn hearing testing, fitting of digital hearing aids for adults and children, and balance diagnostics and rehabilitation. Over 4000 hearing aids are fitted annually within the Audiology Department. A service evaluation survey on people fitted with hearing aids at the Royal Surrey County Hospital revealed that out of 991 respondents 98.5% would recommend the Audiology Department to a friend and 89% rate the overall quality of the service as “very good” or “excellent”. 

The Audiology Department at RSCH contributes to clinical and research supervision and training for students studying BSc and MSc of Audiology, MSc of Psychology and MSc of Medical Physics.

Past scientific meetings organised by the Audiology Department comprise:

• Tier one tinnitus and hyperacusis therapy course.
• Read about the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Master class here.
• Hyperacusis Seminar.
• Balance assessment and rehabilitation seminars.
• Dementia.
• Otitis Media.
• Auditory Brainstem Response workshops.

Please get in touch with us by emailing rsc-tr.Audiology@nhs.net if you would like to engage in the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis therapy specialist clinic activities in the form of:

• Receiving regular updates about our services
• Receiving regular updates about the latest research
• Giving feedback regarding your experience in our clinics
• Taking part in research
• Taking part in patient support groups
• Getting involved in making suggestions about the future of the service

Alternatively, if you want to discuss research priorities, please email Lauren Taylor via: lauren.taylor43@nhs.net