The diagnostic audiology and balance service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Audiology Centre (QEHAC) provides specialist diagnostic testing for patients over 16 years of age presenting with a wide range of hearing and balance disorders.

We accept referrals to QEHAC from audiologists, hearing therapists and ear, nose and throat (ENT) consultants.

We run multi-disciplinary balance clinics which allow professional collaboration between audiologists, balance therapists and ENT consultants on the management of patients. The multi-disciplinary team has close links with Physiotherapy and Neurology.

We investigate more complex hearing disorders using a variety of specialist procedures and testing techniques:

Threshold equalising noise test

To establish regions within the cochlea (inner ear) where there are no functioning inner ear hair cells and/or neurones

Oto-acoustic emissions

An objective test to determine cochlea function

Auditory brainstem response (ABR)

An objective test examining the response of the hearing pathway up to the brainstem

Auditory steady state response (ASSR)

An objective test relying on statistical measures to establish levels of hearing

Cortical evoked response audiometry (CERA)

An objective test of hearing. It involves recording the signals in the auditory cortex (the part of the brain that recognises sound). The signals are picked up through electrodes on the scalp and analysed by a computer

For further information regarding the services we provide, please contact Karen Lindley, Chief Audiologist ( Diagnostics).

Telephone: 0121 371 7100
Email: Audiology@uhb.nhs.uk