Tinnitus Awareness Week, from February 3-9, highlights the impact of Tinnitus, a condition affecting 1 in 7 in the UK.
Held between the 3 and 9 February, Tinnitus Awareness Week is dedicated to raising awareness about Tinnitus - a common condition impacting up to one in seven of the UK’s population. It also provides support to those affected and promotes research into effective treatment.
Tinnitus is defined as hearing sounds when there is no external source of noise and commonly presents as ringing, buzzing or hissing. Tinnitus is often a symptom of an underlying health issue, for example hearing loss or Meniere’s disease. Severe Tinnitus is believed to affect 1.5 million in the UK and can, unless treated, be an extremely disabling condition.
A Report presented to the annual conference of Tinnitus UK on the 4 February 2025 contained a survey of audiologists working in the UK. The survey revealed
- Waits of up to three years amongst Tinnitus sufferers for a referral to an ENT consultant and up to 12 months wait for talking therapies/audiology and hearing aids.
- That up to 25% of audiologists used assessment techniques not recognised by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
Tinnitus is seen as a low priority amongst private clinics, with 36% of private audiology professional stating that Tinnitus is a low priority for them.
For further information, please contact our Occupational disease team.
