While many venues, including the Scottish Parliament, are busy installing Auracast, it will be some time before the technology is commonplace in people’s ears.
Assuming current trajectories hold, Auracast will be everywhere by the end of the decade: 3.1 billion Auracast-enabled devices are expected to hit the market by 2029, while the number of installations continues to grow.
That will span headphones, earbuds and bone conduction hearing devices, as well as hearing aids of all levels, including those offered by the NHS – the UK’s National Health Service. This offers free-at-the-point-of-use healthcare.
Public Health Scotland says that Audiology services should be available within 18 weeks for at least 90% of patients, from initial assessment through fitting to a follow-up review. However, this can be up to two years.
As public health infrastructure slowly adapts to this new audio standard, the gap is increasingly being filled by private providers that offer immediate access to the latest technology.
Last year, an open letter was signed by representatives of the National Deaf Children’s Society, the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), and the British Academy of Audiology. This called on the Scottish Government to set out more ambitious and decisive action, noting that in some cases, children who should be seen within 42 days were waiting up to 600 days. They wrote: “Delayed hearing assessments and inadequate care mean that some babies and young children will have unidentified deafness and lack support…
“…Adults report routine waits of 6-18 months from audiology referral to initial assessment – with some people waiting longer.”
They added: “We believe that the Scottish Government must equip audiology services with the resources, workforce, and leadership necessary to deliver the best possible outcomes for deaf children and adults.”
This can also mean that people being fitted with NHS hearing aids may be forced to wait for audiology departments to upgrade their stocks to include Auracast-enabled aids such as the Danalogic Extend range. These are available, but not with every NHS commissioning body.
We understand that additional hearing aids for the NHS will be made available from another manufacturer later this year, increasing the likelihood that adoption of the technology will grow.
Alastair Moore, Technology Lead at RNID, said: “Auracast is an exciting technology that has the potential to be a game-changer for the 1.5 million people in Scotland who are deaf or have hearing loss, and we would like to see it embraced as standard across Scotland, from its use in entertainment venues to being adopted in NHS hearing aids.
“By providing a high-quality and low-latency broadcast direct to people’s hearing aids or other listening devices, Auracast has the potential to improve accessibility for our communities in a wide range of areas such as healthcare, employment and in public spaces like cinemas and theatres. However, technology is only one part of delivering an effective audiology service.
“The Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland highlighted major problems with services across Scotland, and we routinely hear from people who have been forced to wait years for an audiology appointment – which is unacceptable.
“We urge the Scottish Government to take a joined-up approach to guarantee timely access to services, as well as ensuring accessible communication standards are met, in order to meet the needs of people who are deaf or have hearing loss.”
Independent audiology services can be the way forward
NHS hearing aids typically feature more established entry-level technology; for those who want access to the very latest premium features and connectivity, a visit to an independent audiologist is essential. They offer a comprehensive range of the latest products from various global manufacturers, ensuring a tailored solution for every individual.
While we advocate buying an Auracast-enabled hearing aid where possible, we acknowledge this isn’t feasible for everyone. What trumps Auracast is the need to fit the best hearing aid for a patient’s hearing loss, which might mean buying one without Bluetooth LE Audio.
Among those independent audiology firms is Borders Hearing Care run by Shona Jackson and Andrew Quinn. The pair have a sister store in Edinburgh, Portobello Hearing Care, which opened earlier this year. The pair are also members of AIHHP (Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals), and say they are “very much focused on doing a good job for people”.
It has also won Consumer Services StartUp of the Year at the Scotland StartUp Awards 2026. Organisers said: “Many (winners) are also tackling some of the biggest issues facing society, from health and sustainability to clean energy, digital inclusion and productivity. That combination of entrepreneurial energy and practical impact is what makes this year’s winners so impressive, and their success is not only worth celebrating, it is worth backing.”
Every winner from the Scotland final now goes through to the UK national final, which takes place at Ideas Fest in September.
Like many such companies, it offers a wide range of services, including hearing assessments, ongoing support, earwax removal, and custom earplug fitting. Crucially, they can offer support and advice to anyone who visits their clinics. They offer hearing aids from a range of manufacturers, including Starkey, Widex, Phonak, Oticon, and ReSound – the big five. This means they have access to the latest hearing technology, such as Auracast.
“We pride ourselves on our aftercare, and we are very big on being independent, so we are not tied to any particular manufacturer. We can choose what we think is best for the client and what they need,” Andrew says.
“The technology available in the NHS isn’t bad, nor is it massively out of date, but there are always newer items available.”
Shona adds that their approach helps them build relationships with their clients. “Audiology is not really like any other healthcare. You get time to chat and learn about their lives and problems. We sort out so much more here than just hearing. It’s a brilliant job, and I love it.”
Andrew adds that aftercare and service are important for the clinics and are included in the price.
“You can have an appointment at pretty short notice; we will do our best to ensure you are looked after. If something comes up, or their hearing aids stop working before an important event, we will do our level best to get you working again or offer a loan instrument if needed. There’s a level of care that the NHS simply can’t provide, and you probably wouldn’t get it from the chains either.
“The technology is fabulous, and we have access to the latest thing all the time, but I’d say the biggest differentiator is our service,” Andrew adds.
The pair are excited about the latest hearing instruments coming to market, with features such as Auracast and AI-driven enhancements that can help with understanding speech in noisy situations. A growing awareness of what hearing aids can do is good for the industry.
“Anything that opens up hearing awareness and hearing aid tech can only be a good thing because it reduces barriers,” Andrew explains. “When we started out, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the main cohort that needed hearing aids was probably the baby boomer generation who weren’t as tech savvy. We are still seeing some people come in who really don’t want to connect their hearing aids to an app. We can usually convince them to get their phone connected because that functionality is phenomenal and really helpful for almost everyone – but some people are just not interested. Some people don’t even have a smartphone.”
While some of their clients will never get such a gadget, it’s different for the Gen X customers coming in for hearing tests. “They grew up with computers pretty much, and smartphones were a fairly natural evolution of tech. I think that has made it more accessible.”
Andrew adds that when the right technology is fitted to their patients’ ears, the results can be profound: “Quite often you’ll see a change in people and their body language. They will come in, and they are anxious. They’re aware of the pressure on them to get through conversations, then you fit them with something that is appropriate, good and high-tech, and they come back in a couple of weeks, and they are transformed – visibility transformed in their demeanour and their attitude. You can see it in their face, it’s brilliant, and that is very rewarding.”
Shona says the effect goes beyond the patient: “We’re always changing lives,” she explains. “The wife may have had some awful years having to repeat themselves. We had an older guy come in – he’s 93 and still on the go. We fitted him with a hearing aid, and for the first time ever he heard his mobility scooter’s tyres on the road. We get things like this all the time, and every story is different.”
It is important to Shona and Andrew to let clients try out the potential purchase to ensure it meets their needs.
Andrew explains: “Some hearing aids have fantastic Bluetooth connectivity and Auracast compatibility, all that stuff. Others don’t. But it’s very much a case of what is going to work well for the client. You choose the one you think is going to work well, but sometimes it’s the second pair you try. It gives the clients a chance to choose and have an agency in the process rather than being told, ‘I’m prescribing this for you, and it’s going to fix your life’. Instead, it gives them a chance to say, ‘I’m taking this away and going to try it’.”
This is important as what clients hear in their quiet consulting rooms isn’t what they will necessarily hear when they are going about their day-to-day activities, and it allows the audiologists to provide the best possible experience for their clients.
Now they will get to do similar when they fit out Auracast-enabled hearing aids, but there is work to be done.
“People don’t know about it,” Andrew says. “Twenty years ago, pretty much every hearing aid had telecoils fitted until people requested not to have them. Loop systems weren’t always terribly effective, switched on, or maintained, but they are universally in public places. But with RIC (receiver in canal) hearing aids, size constraints, rechargability, and the rest of it, telecoils got pushed out.
“Auracast has not yet fully come in. GN, for example, has it, but for many manufacturers it is not standard. There is also, as far as I can tell, complete ignorance among consumers that Auracast is a thing. I don’t know many places that are equipped or have any signs up, and the public education has been minimal. We’d like that to change, as it is a great, great technology.
“It sounds like it will do a great job, but requires take-up from both hearing aid manufacturers and venues like places of worship to install it and make people aware of it. If people see a sign about it, they will want to know more and come to us to ask about it. But at the moment, there’s nothing that’s letting them know it’s out there and it exists.”
Shona says: “I don’t know anywhere locally that has an Auracast set up.
“There have been so many developments over the last two or three years that are really good. It’s just ensuring that people are aware of the options available to them.”
Shona and Andrew are ready to meet people wanting to find out: “Make an appointment, come and have a chat. You won’t know until you try. With us, you are welcome to try hearing aids with no obligation,” Andrew says.
For more details or to book an appointment, log on to https://www.bordershearingcare.co.uk or https://www.portobellohearingcare.co.uk/, or alternatively call 01896 800369 or 0131 202 8222.
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