How much does a private hearing test cost?

A full hearing test at Drummond Hearing is £150. That includes pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, ear examination and a full consultation with the audiologist — there is no separate consultation fee.

How long does a hearing test take?

Allow 60 minutes. The testing itself is quicker, but the discussion before and the explanation afterwards are the parts that make the appointment worth having.

Do I need a GP referral?

No. You can book a private hearing test directly. If anything found needs an ENT opinion, we refer on to consultants we work with regularly.

Does a hearing test hurt?

No. Nothing invasive happens. Tympanometry involves a brief change in air pressure that feels like a light push in the ear, and it lasts a couple of seconds.

Will I be pushed into buying hearing aids?

No. A good proportion of people who have a hearing test leave without needing hearing aids, and we will tell you plainly if that is the case. If aids would help, we explain the options and prices and you take your time.

Can I have wax removed at the same appointment?

Yes. Microsuction wax removal is £120 and can usually be done in the same visit, so you only need to come in once.

Hearing test

A full private hearing test in Kensington — £150.

Sixty unhurried minutes with audiologist Scott Drummond, including pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and a full consultation. You leave knowing exactly how well you hear, what is causing any difficulty, and whether you need to do anything about it.

Book a full hearing test

A 60-minute appointment including pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and a full consultation. You go home with your audiogram and clear, unhurried advice.

60 minutes, one-to-one with Scott
Wednesdays & Friday mornings
Kensington & West London
No GP referral needed

Book a hearing test 020 7139 5186

60-minute comprehensive hearing assessment · No referral required

What happens during the appointment

1. Your hearing history

We start by talking, not testing. Where do you struggle — restaurants, meetings, the television, one particular ear? Any noise exposure, dizziness, tinnitus, ear surgery or family history of hearing loss? This shapes everything that follows.

2. Otoscopy and ear health check

A video otoscope examination of both ear canals and eardrums, shown to you on screen. If wax is blocking the view, it can usually be removed in the same visit so the test results are accurate.

3. Pure tone audiometry

The core hearing test. In a quiet clinical setting you respond to tones from 250Hz to 8000Hz through headphones, and through a bone conductor placed behind the ear. Comparing the two tells us whether any loss is in the inner ear, the middle ear, or both.

4. Tympanometry

A few seconds per ear. This measures how the eardrum and middle ear move, and picks up fluid behind the eardrum, a perforation, or Eustachian tube problems that a tone test alone would miss.

5. Speech testing where useful

Hearing tones and understanding words are not the same thing. Where it adds value, we check how clearly you make out speech, which is often what actually bothers people.

6. Your results, explained

You see your audiogram, and we go through what each part of it means for your day-to-day hearing. You leave with a copy, a written summary if you want one, and honest advice — including when that advice is that you do not need hearing aids.

Who should have a hearing test?

You ask people to repeat themselves, especially in company.
Conversation in restaurants, cafés or meetings has become hard work.
Others say the television is too loud.
You have ringing, buzzing or hissing in your ears.
One ear feels weaker than the other.
You have had noise exposure at work, shooting or through music.
You are over 55 and have never had your hearing measured.

Not sure whether it applies to you? Read the signs of hearing loss or what the audiogram actually shows.

Where and when

Bupa Cromwell Hospital, Kensington

164–178 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0TU — Wednesdays, all day.

Visit Health, West London

1 Blythe Road, London W14 0HG — Friday mornings.

We regularly see patients from Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill and Fulham.

Common questions

How much does a private hearing test cost?: A full hearing test at Drummond Hearing is £150. That includes pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, ear examination and a full consultation with the audiologist — there is no separate consultation fee.
How long does a hearing test take?: Allow 60 minutes. The testing itself is quicker, but the discussion before and the explanation afterwards are the parts that make the appointment worth having.
Do I need a GP referral?: No. You can book a private hearing test directly. If anything found needs an ENT opinion, we refer on to consultants we work with regularly.
Does a hearing test hurt?: No. Nothing invasive happens. Tympanometry involves a brief change in air pressure that feels like a light push in the ear, and it lasts a couple of seconds.
Will I be pushed into buying hearing aids?: No. A good proportion of people who have a hearing test leave without needing hearing aids, and we will tell you plainly if that is the case. If aids would help, we explain the options and prices and you take your time.
Can I have wax removed at the same appointment?: Yes. Microsuction wax removal is £120 and can usually be done in the same visit, so you only need to come in once.

Book a full hearing test

A 60-minute appointment including pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and a full consultation. You go home with your audiogram and clear, unhurried advice.

60 minutes, one-to-one with Scott
Wednesdays & Friday mornings
Kensington & West London
No GP referral needed

Book a hearing test 020 7139 5186

60-minute comprehensive hearing assessment · No referral required

Thinking further ahead? See our full prices or read about digital hearing aids.