NHS Innovations North

Drop off repair system

The Problem

A Chief Audiologist at the University Hospital of North Tees noticed that the system for passing in the ear(ITE) hearing aids back to the repair laboratory and the subsequent re-issue to the patient was consuming a large amount of the patients’ and the Audiologists’ time. This led him to invent a new method of handling repairs to hearing aids.

The Solution

NHS Innovations North worked with the Chief Audiologist and a local company, Sarabec to design and implement a new Drop Off Repair Bag Service to process repairs of ITE hearing aids, allowing patients to bypass waiting rooms and costly car parking charges.

NHS Innovations North mediated an agreement with the hearing aid products company, in that Sarabec sponsored the service providing the packaging material, whilst the Trust retained ownership of the idea and associated intellectual property.

This idea gained recognition and financial support in the Innovation at Work Awards 2003, by scooping First prize in the Innovative Service Delivery category.

Benefits to the NHS

The new system will save the department 7.5 hours per week or 390 hours per year. Patients will save 125 hours spent waiting for repairs per week, which is 6,500 hours per year. The Audiology Department now benefits from not having to prepare the paperwork for the laboratory and fewer discussions with the patient about the repair. The total estimated time saving for the department is 15 minutes per repair. The patient benefits from reduced waiting time and free parking.

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