In order to be eligible for a cochlear implant on the NHS you must meet eligibility criteria as set by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This criteria is based on your hearing levels and your ability to hear speech.
Being referred for a cochlear implant assessment does not mean that you will be offered a cochlear implant as you will have to meet the eligibility criteria and progress through our suitability assessments prior to being offered a cochlear implant. You may also choose to withdraw from assessment at any time if you feel having a cochlear implant is not the right choice for you.
Assessment for a cochlear implant consists of a few different stages:
1. Initial assessment appointment
At the initial appointment you will see an Audiologist who will ask you questions regarding your hearing loss, medical history, hearing aids and lifestyle. They will then perform various tests including a hearing test and speech tests to establish your eligibility for a cochlear implant. At the end of the appointment we will let you know if you meet the cochlear implant eligibility criteria and discuss the next steps with you, should you want to proceed with assessment.
If you are eligible for a cochlear implant and want to carry on with cochlear implant assessment you will then be seen for the following appointments:
2. Continued assessment appointments
Following your initial cochlear implant assessment appointment, additional appointments will be arranged to gain further information about your hearing and ensure you and your significant others have all the necessary information.
At these appointments we may need to repeat some of the tests that we have done at your initial appointment including hearing tests with and without your hearing aids. These tests alongside scans and hearing history will help us to identify the best ear to implant.
The rehabilitation involved in having a cochlear implant will also be discussed. The rehabilitation period is the time after switch-on when we help you to get used to your cochlear implant. A lot of people can find that this involves quite a lot of hard work and so we need to make sure that you are prepared for this. We may do some initial questionnaires about your expectations from a cochlear implant to ensure that these are realistic and not set too high or too low. It can be good to prepare for this appointment by thinking of specific situations that you would like to improve your ability to hear/communicate. The process of rehabilitation after the surgery will also be explained to you.
3. Scans
We require two scans to be performed so we can have a full view of the inner ear: a CT scan and a MRI scan.
4. Risks counselling
You will see a member of the team who will go through the surgical process in more detail. Cochlear implant surgery is an established operation which is generally very safe. The majority of people will experience no major problems following this operation but as with every surgical procedure there are some associated risks and these will be outlined to you at this appointment.
5. Medical assessment
As having a cochlear implant involves surgery which requires an anaesthetic, we will need to assess your medical suitability for surgery. This will be done by a trained pre-operative specialist nurse.
6. Consent
During this appointment you will meet one of our cochlear implant surgeons and if after all the assessments above you are considered suitable for a cochlear implant this will be offered to you at this appointment. Consent forms will be signed ready for the surgery. You will then be offered a surgery date in due course.
Information and counselling
During your assessment you will be given information about what to expect from a cochlear implant if you proceed, this will help you make an informed decision of whether you feel a cochlear implant is right for you.
If you are considering a cochlear implant we feel it is important for you to meet someone who has a cochlear implant and who has been through the process. This way you will learn about their experiences before you have the implant and it gives you a clearer idea of what to expect. We will discuss this with you and we will either recommend that you attend one of our local User Groups (held at Aintree, Wrexham and Bodelwyddan) or we can put you in 1:1 contact with another person who has been through the process and has a cochlear implant.