How to arrange a home hearing test in the UK: the NHS route and the private route

You can arrange a home hearing test in the UK in one of two ways. On the NHS, you start by seeing your GP, who can refer you to an NHS audiology service: the test is free and normally takes place in a clinic, and only some areas will send an audiologist to your home, usually when you cannot travel, so whether a visit is offered and how long you wait depends on your local NHS trust. Privately, you book directly with a home-visiting provider and need no referral at all; HomeSight, for example, offers a free hearing screening at home and a full home hearing assessment for £30 across London, the South East and the South Midlands.

Both routes are sound. Which one suits you comes down to three things: whether you or your relative can get to a clinic, how long you are prepared to wait, and whether you would rather pay nothing or pay for speed. This guide walks through each route step by step, then sets out what to check before you let any provider through the door. If you want to know what actually happens during the appointment, our separate guide on what happens at a home hearing test covers that.

Why so many people end up asking this question

Hearing loss is common, and it becomes more likely with every decade. RNID, the national hearing loss charity, estimates that more than 18 million people across the UK live with deafness, hearing loss or tinnitus, roughly one person in three. By RNID's figures, more than half of people aged 55 and over have some hearing loss, and by the age of 70 almost four in five do.

The people most likely to need a test are therefore often the people who find a trip to a clinic hardest. That is where the question of a home visit comes in, and why it pays to understand both routes before you pick up the phone.

Route 1: arranging a hearing test through the NHS

NHS hearing tests and any hearing aids that follow are free. The path usually looks like this.

1. Book a GP appointment. Explain what has changed and who noticed it. The GP may look for a simple cause first, such as wax or an ear infection, and can then refer you to an audiologist, according to the NHS guidance on getting a hearing test.
2. Ask about home visits at the same appointment. If getting to a hospital or community clinic is not realistic, say so plainly and ask whether your local audiology service offers visits at home. The GP referral is normally what opens that door.
3. Expect local rules. Each NHS trust sets its own criteria. University Hospitals Sussex, for instance, offers audiology home visits to people who are housebound, asks new patients to come through their GP, and warns that demand means a longer wait for these appointments. Leeds Teaching Hospitals visits patients who are terminally ill, house bound or bed bound on a GP referral, and asks for the ears to be checked and cleared of wax before the audiologist comes.
4. Sort out earwax early. The NHS notes that not every GP surgery removes earwax, so you may be pointed to another NHS service or have to pay privately. Its advice is to try a few drops of olive or almond oil for several days first and to keep cotton buds out of the ear.
5. Wait for the appointment. The next section explains why this step can take a while.
6. If hearing aids are recommended, the NHS supplies them free on long-term loan, with batteries, repairs and follow-up appointments included.

Two local variations are worth knowing. In a handful of areas you can skip the GP: adults registered with a GP in six South East London boroughs, for age-related hearing difficulty, can refer themselves for an NHS hearing assessment. And the NHS points out that some pharmacies and opticians test adults’ hearing, often at no charge, although any hearing aids they recommend are usually paid for. Neither of those options normally involves a visit to your home.

How long the NHS wait can be

Waits vary widely by area, so treat national figures as a rough guide. NHS England’s diagnostic waiting times report for July 2026 shows 124,667 people in England waiting for an NHS audiology assessment at the end of that month, and 41.5 per cent of them had already been waiting six weeks or longer. The NHS’s own standard is that fewer than 1 per cent of patients should wait that long for a diagnostic test. The NHS also acknowledges that getting a hearing aid through it can take longer than going private. Home visits, where they are offered, can add to the wait, because they are fewer and in demand.

None of that makes the NHS the wrong choice. If you can manage a clinic or you qualify for a local home visit, and a wait of some weeks is acceptable, the NHS route costs you nothing and the care is good.

Route 2: arranging a private home hearing test

A private home hearing test skips the referral. You contact a provider, they send an audiologist to you, and you pay for the service. Several private providers, including some high street names, offer this in certain parts of the country, and prices and coverage vary a good deal. Here is how it works with HomeSight, as one example.

1. Check your postcode is covered. HomeSight visits Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and the South Midlands. The areas we visit page lists the routine routes, or you can ring with a postcode.
2. Get in touch. Call HomeSight on 0800 080 6095, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or fill in the short form to book a home hearing visit. A coordinator rings back, confirms what you need and agrees a time. No GP referral is required.
3. Choose the level of test. HomeSight’s hearing screening is free and is a sensible first step if you are unsure. A full hearing assessment costs £30, takes about 90 minutes and includes otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, speech-in-noise testing and tympanometry. If you then buy hearing aids from HomeSight, the £30 is refunded.
4. Mention earwax if you suspect it. A HomeSight audiologist can remove wax at the same visit for £80, by microsuction or whichever method the audiologist judges safest for your ears, so the hearing test is not thrown off by a blockage.
5. Hear the results on the day. The audiologist explains what the audiogram shows in plain English. If hearing aids would help, HomeSight fits them at a second home visit and returns at week two and week six to adjust them, with a 60-day money-back trial (less a £50 fitting fee).

From the first phone call to the first visit is usually within two weeks. To be clear about what this is: HomeSight’s hearing care is entirely private. It is not NHS-funded and does not replace an NHS referral; HomeSight’s NHS contract covers home eye tests only. More detail sits on the home hearing care page.

NHS or private: the two routes side by side

Put simply: the NHS wins on cost, and private wins on speed and on having every step happen at home. If you are weighing up eye care as well as hearing, our guide to choosing between NHS and private home eye and hearing tests puts both side by side.

What families should look for in a home hearing care provider

If you are arranging this for a parent, you are inviting someone into their home and, quite possibly, into a purchase worth hundreds or thousands of pounds. The NHS notes that a single private hearing aid can cost anywhere from £500 to £3,500 or more. These are the checks worth making with any provider, HomeSight included.

• HCPC registration you can confirm yourself. In the private sector, only someone registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a hearing aid dispenser may test hearing or prescribe a hearing aid. Ask for the clinician’s name when you book and look them up on the free HCPC register. It takes a minute.
• Prices in writing before anyone visits. You should know the cost of the test, any wax removal, any call-out charge, and whether hearing aid prices are per ear or per pair.
• A clear trial and return policy. How many days you have to decide, and exactly what is kept back if the aids go back.
• Aftercare that is spelled out. How many follow-up visits are included, over what period, and whether they happen at home or in a clinic.
• Servicing at home. Tubes block, tips wear and settings need adjusting. Check whether the provider will come out for that, and whether they will look after aids bought elsewhere.
• A service that is not driven by sales. A good provider will tell you when hearing is fine, leave you a copy of the results and let you take time to decide. Be wary of pressure to buy on the day.
• Room for family. A relative or carer should be welcome to sit in and hear the findings first-hand.

For transparency, here is how HomeSight answers that list. Its audiologists are HCPC-registered. Prices for testing, wax removal and every hearing aid package are published on its website. Hearing aids come with a 60-day money-back trial, less a £50 fitting fee. The follow-up visits in the second and sixth weeks happen at home, and aftercare runs for two to four years depending on the package. Aids bought elsewhere can be serviced at home for £45. And roughly one in six first-time assessments show hearing that is normal for the person’s age; when that happens, HomeSight says so and you keep the audiogram. Families can book on a parent’s behalf without a power of attorney, and there is more on that on the families and carers page.

What to have ready before the visit

A little preparation makes the appointment calmer and the results more useful, whichever route you take.

• The basics for booking: the full name, address, date of birth and postcode of the person being tested, plus your own number if you want to be the contact.
• A short note of what has changed: the television volume, phone calls, busy rooms, ringing in the ears, one side worse than the other, and roughly when it started.
• Ear history: any ear surgery, a perforated eardrum, recent infections or discharge. Mention these when you book.
• Existing hearing aids and their charger or spare batteries, along with any letters from a previous hearing test.
• A quiet room with the television, radio and washing machine off for the test itself.
• Someone to sit in if that would help, particularly if memory is a concern.
• Power of attorney details, if a health and welfare attorney is already in place, so the clinician knows who to involve.

Arranging a visit for someone who rarely or never leaves the house raises its own questions about access, consent and timing. Our guide to home hearing tests for people who are housebound deals with those in detail.

Frequently asked questions

How do I arrange a home hearing test in the UK?

Either ask your GP for a referral to NHS audiology and ask whether your local service offers home visits, or book a private home hearing test directly with no referral. NHS tests are free but usually clinic-based, with home visits only in some areas for people who cannot travel. HomeSight, a private provider, offers free hearing screening at home and a £30 full assessment across London, the South East and the South Midlands.

Can I get a free hearing test at home on the NHS?

Sometimes. NHS hearing tests are free, but they normally happen in a clinic. Some NHS trusts run home visits for people who are housebound, bed bound or terminally ill, usually on a GP referral and often with a longer wait. Ask your GP what your local audiology service offers.

Do I need a GP referral for a private home hearing test?

No. You can book a private home hearing test yourself. With HomeSight you call 0800 080 6095 or use the online booking form, and a coordinator arranges the visit. You only need a GP referral if you want the NHS route.

How much does a home hearing test cost?

On the NHS it is free. Private prices vary by provider. HomeSight’s hearing screening at home is free and a full home hearing assessment is £30, refunded if you buy hearing aids from HomeSight. Earwax removal at home is £80 if needed, and there is no call-out fee.

Can I book a home hearing test for my mum or dad?

Yes. Most HomeSight bookings are made by family members, carers or care home staff rather than by the patient. HomeSight does not ask for a power of attorney to make the booking, and your own phone number can be the contact. The audiologist checks with your parent that they are happy to go ahead before starting.

How quickly can I get a home hearing test?

On the NHS it depends on your local trust, and home visits can take longer than clinic appointments. With HomeSight, the first visit is usually within two weeks of your first call. If hearing has gone suddenly, do not wait for either route: speak to your GP surgery or NHS 111 today.

About HomeSight. HomeSight provides home eye care and private home hearing care, with HCPC-registered audiologists visiting homes and care homes across Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and the South Midlands. Call 0800 080 6095, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or book a home visit online.