The provision of free NHS hearing aids in the UK is good, but comes short for many. Read through this article to learn about your options on how to upgrade your NHS hearing aids to invisible and Bluetooth-enabled affordable hearing aids.
It is a pity that a nationwide health program works on a lottery postcode for the type, quality and technology of the hearing aids that a patient receives. Where I operate in London, most of the free NHS hearing aids provided to the patients are bulky, battery-powered, and do not support Bluetooth and streaming. Also, the AQP (any qualified provider) providers of free NHS hearing aids do not provide custom-made, invisible, in-the-ear style hearing aids.
In other developed EU countries such as Germany and Netherlands the NHS provides a voucher of 400 to 750 Euro (based on the country) to the patient and the patient can use the voucher against his or her choice of hearing aids. That flexibility allows the patient to purchase the model and style that he or she desires and works best with his or her lifestyle. In the UK the free NHS hearing aids are one size fits all, in a very unequal geographical distribution.
The free NHS hearing aids provided in the UK sound OK, but not awesome, especially in understanding speech in noisy environments. The program does not offer premium hearing aids to the patients. Some patients end up purchasing a pair of premium hearing aids in addition to the free NHS ones and keep the NHS pair as a backup. It is sad to see that millions of taxpayers' money end up in drawers.
For those who wish to try premium hearing aids for the first time we have created a collection called NHS+ hearing aids.
This collection is a hand-picked selection of the best brands and technologies that an entry budget can buy in the UK. Hearing aids in our NHS+ hearing aids collection are:
Budget-friendly
Better sound quality compared to NHS hearing aids
Better speech understanding in noise
Rechargeable or battery-powered
Invisible hearing aids (IIC and CIC)
Custom-made rechargeable hearing aids
Bluetooth ready for music and TV streaming
Remote adjusting and programming
5-years UK warranty and aftercare
In-clinic and home visit test and fitting (in London)
We will go through some of our NHS+hearing aids in the following.
Resound Key-4 is our top pick in the NHS+ hearing aids collection for those looking for a pair of rechargeable and Bluetooth-enabled RIC hearing aids at the lowest price. I have prescribed and fitted this hearing aid for several seniors and elderly patients as well as younger and mid-age customers. It is a good option if you are keen to improve the sound quality of your NHS hearing aids as almost all of the patients I fitted this hearing aid confirmed that the sound quality has improved. The ability to stream a TV soundtrack is a big winner for the elderly who watch TV as their first choice of home entertainment.
The price of a pair of Resound Key-4 is below £1,000 which is amazing. Patients can enjoy remote hearing care meaning your audiologist will be able to adjust and reprogram your Resound Key-4 remotely. An excellent feature for housebound patients, or those pensioners travelling outside the UK a lot.
Highlights of Resonund Key-4 RIC hearing aids are:
Lowest price receiver in canal hearing aids
Rechargeable RIC
The price includes a desktop charger
Resound's essential sound technology
Bluetooth and streaming (ITE and ITC)
Better sound quality than NHS hearing aids
Suitable for mild to severe hearing loss
5-year warranty and aftercare
Remote adjustment and telecare (ITC/ITE)
Fitting in-clinic or at your home (London)
Rexton is Signia's twin sister (learn more here). The technology used in Rexton hearing aids is the same as Signia. The only difference is that Rexton's line of products are positioned for budget consumers. This makes the Rexton BiCore R-Li 40 a great choice for those looking to upgrade their NHS hearing aids to a premium-level rechargeable and Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid. The product is manufactured by WSA, the parent company of Widex, Signia and Rextor hearing aids in their manufacturing lines in Denmark and Germany. If you have a little bit of room in your budget I'd definitely suggest considering the middle-level technology of Rexton Bi-Core R-Li 60 which is more feature-rich and definitely a better option for understanding speech in a noisy environment like coffee shops and restaurants. Click this link to learn more about Signia Augmented Xperience technology level differences.
Rexton BiCore R-Li 40 can stream TV sound and phone calls straight into your ears. The battery-powered Rexton BiCore hearing aids are slightly cheaper as you save on the cost of the charger unit, but good to mention that the portable charger unit is much cooler and actually has a power pack inside that allows you to do charging on the go.
The highlights of Rexton BiCore R-Li 40 hearing aids are:
Signia Augmented Xperience (AX) technology
Rechargeable RIC
The price includes a desktop charger
Bluetooth and TV streaming
Superior sound quality than NHS hearing aids
Suitable for mild to severe hearing loss
5-year warranty and aftercare
Remote adjustment and telecare (ITC/ITE)
Fitting in-clinic or at your home (London)
Starkey Evolv Ai 1200 hearing aid is a key member in our NHS+ hearing aids collection. Starkey is one of the leading hearing aids manufacturers of custom hearing aids. Their CIC invisible hearing aid is now Bluetooth enabled which puts Starkey as the only manufacturer of CIC hearing aids with Bluetooth and streaming capability in the market (summer 2023). Again, most of the NHS centres in the UK do not offer invisible hearing aids or custom-made in-the-ear hearing aids, hence Starkey Evolve Ai custom hearing aids would be a great option if you wish to upgrade your free NHS hearing aids. They are suitable for patients with moderate to profound hearing loss.
Meet the Starkey Evolv Ai family below.
Starkey Evolv Ai custom hearing aids can be battery-powered or rechargeable. The rechargeable version comes with a desktop or a power-pack carrying charger unit. See below.
Our recommendation for an entry-level with Starkey Evolv Ai custom hearing aids is its 1600 tech level mainly because some of the cool features such as noise reduction, Edge mode and speech optimization start from level 1600 and higher, however, level 1200 can be a fair entry point if you are on a tight budget. You can see a comparison of Starkey Evolv Ai tech levels below.
Here is a list of Starkey Evolv Ai 1200 highlights:
Starkey's latest sound processing technology
Invisible IIC and CIC as well as rechargeable ITE/ITC
The price includes a desktop charger
Bluetooth, and TV streaming (ITE/ITC)
Handsfree conversation over the phone
Superior sound quality than NHS hearing aids
Telecoil (ITE)
Suitable for moderate to profound hearing loss
5-year warranty and aftercare
Remote adjustment and telecare (ITC/ITE)
Fitting in-clinic or at your home (London)
See Starkey full catalogue here
Signia Active ITE could tick all your needs and wishes for a pair of hearing aids that sound much better than your NHS hearing aids, are Bluetooth enabled, do hands-free phone calls, do TV streaming and can be adjusted and programmed remotely. Signia Active even comes with a charger unit that is power-packed meaning you can charge your hearing aids as you go. It is designed to look similar to music earbuds. It sits in your concha bowl and makes a good choice for active people wearing them during exercises, running and group physical activities.
Signia Active is popular among people with professionals who need to wear masks such as nurses and healthcare professionals.
Learn more about Signia Active on the Signia website.
The highlights of Signia Active are:
Signia Xperience technology
Rechargeable
The price includes the charger unit
Bluetooth and TV streaming
Superior sound quality than NHS hearing aids
Suitable for mild to moderate hearing loss
2-year warranty and aftercare
Remote adjustment and telecare
Fitting in-clinic or at your home (London)
See Signia full catalogue here
Rexton announced its rechargeable custom-made range of hearing aids in 2023. The hearing aids are rechargeable and also Bluetooth enabled, meaning you will be able to stream music, and podcasts as well as conduct a hands-free phone conversation through these hearing aids.
The hearing aids can be charged fully in about 3 to 5 hours. After that, they can give you about 24-28 hours of run time (depending on your level of hearing loss and the time you do streaming.)
The Rexton BiCore Custom Li 40 would be a great upgrade from your NHS hearing aids if you have been disappointed that NHS does not provide in-the-ear or in-the-canal hearing aids (ITE and ITC).
Learn more about Rexton Custom Li hearing aids on the Rexton website.
The highlights of the Rexton BiCore Custom Li hearing aids are:
Signia Augmented Xperience technology (AX)
Dual processing technology to suppress the unwanted background noise
Rechargeable
The price includes the charger unit
Bluetooth and TV streaming
Superior sound quality than NHS hearing aids
Suitable for mild to moderate to severe hearing loss
5-year warranty and aftercare
Remote adjustment and telecare
Fitting in-clinic or at your home (London)
Conclusion
Life is short, so we need to live it to the fullest we can. If you are not happy with your free NHS hearing aids there are always options. Contact us for a free consultation.
Remember we do free hearing tests and hearing aid consultations. We do free home visits when you purchase a pair of hearing aids with us (only in London).
If you have inherited a pair of premium hearing aids and wondering for help with your second-hand hearing aids, please contact us or check this article.
Update: April 2024
Rexton released its rechargeable invisible Rexton Reach inoX CIC in April 2024. The hearing aid is the smallest rechargeable CIC and takes advantage of the same IX platform as Signia SILK IX CIC. Rexton Reach inoX CIC comes with a portable portable charger and when fully charged can run 24 to 29 hours without the need for a recharge. It can connect to the Rexton App for adjusting the volume, setting programs and receiving remote telecare updates. Rexton Reach inoX CIC comes in 3 technology levels, 80, 60 and 40. The product is the choice of hearing aid for people with mild to moderate hearing loss who want a pair of rechargeable and discrete hearing aids. Rexton Reach inoX CIC has received a lot of interest from those who are in search of an affordable replacement for their NHS hearing aids.
