Se connecterTHE TINNITUS WEEK THAT WAS...
...a success of "dedication and collaboration"
Alex Brooks-Johnson, Tinnitus' UK dynamic CEO, addresses an engrossed audience during Tinnitus Week, February 2025.
Profile building has begun in earnest for a group that is more than a charity.
THE TINNITUS WEEK THAT WAS…
Since Alex Brooks-Johnson took over as CEO of Tinnitus UK in September, 2024, efforts to create awareness of the condition and support those who suffer its ravages have taken on a palpable new energy, even if much of the early drive shown by the new leader and his team is going into turning around the group’s financial predicament.
From February 3 to 9, this powerhouse charity – it meets the challenges of tinnitus head-on in so many directions that charity rings hollow as a descriptor – held a vibrant Tinnitus Week the group has hailed as a success, achieving not only widespread interest throughout the hearing health industry and profession, but also switching on a national spotlight through media coverage.
A Tinnitus Week Research Launch Event, which the group claimed « reflected the dedication and collaboration of all involved—professional bodies, sponsors, volunteers, and speakers », reaffirmed a key commitment of the charity: investigation. Held on Tuesday, February 4 at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London, with industry support from Lenire, Danalogic GN, Specsavers, Exhibit Interactive, Oto, Puretone, TinniSoothe, and Widex/Signia, it included a panel discussion examining practices and innovative approaches in tinnitus management, as well as presentations from leading tinnitus experts covering topics such as patient care advancements and emerging technologies.
Tinnitus UK listed the main achievements of the 2025 Tinnitus Week as:
• Publishing a report – Ringing the Alarm: The tinnitus care crisis – and using it to bring the industry together to push for systemic change and access to better care for those living with tinnitus. https://tinnitus.org.uk/news-list/tinnitus-week-report-exposes-the-critical-gaps-in-uk-tinnitus-care/
• Raising awareness of tinnitus and Tinnitus UK in the media. The Ringing the Alarm report was featured in the Mail on Sunday and discussed on the BBC Breakfast sofa, and mentioned briefly on This Morning. Tinnitus Week was featured on five TV news programmes plus This Morning and 20 radio stations across the UK.
• Making a real difference – people living with tinnitus heard or saw the media coverage and were prompted to get support.
• A round-table event – getting everyone around the table for the first time. « By working together we hope to drive meaningful change, » said a Tinnitus UK spokesperson.
• A research launch event – « after a long hiatus from face-to-face events this was an important milestone for us ».
The CEO’s round table – ambition for unity over tinnitus
Highlighting that 7.6 million people suffer with tinnitus – one in seven adults in the UK – and announcing ongoing collaboration with Tinnitus UK, the retail optics and audiology group Specsavers was one of several industry representatives who took part in a round-table event during Tinnitus Week.
Highlighting that 7.6 million people suffer with tinnitus – one in seven adults in the UK – and announcing ongoing collaboration with Tinnitus UK, the retail optics and audiology group Specsavers was one of several industry representatives who took part in a round-table event during Tinnitus Week.
Described by Tinnitus UK as « an ambitious event », the aim of the discussion was « to unite the hearing health industry to tackle pressing issues in tinnitus care and support ». Professionals representing the British Academy of Audiology (BAA), British Society of Audiology (BSA), the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA), Association of Independent Hearing Health Professionals (AIHHP) and ENT UK were joined by Neuromod, GN, and Specsavers to discuss a united approach to help drive the change that is required.
Tinnitus UK highlighted « a promising approach being trialled in Wales », where tinnitus patients are seen by an audiologist first, and identified this as a potential model to copy across the UK towards improved early intervention. Also raised was the need for a more holistic approach to the medical guidance provided to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
Gordon Harrison, Specsavers Director of Professional Advancement (Audiology), commented: « It was a privilege to join Tinnitus UK for their roundtable and conference. Working with Tinnitus UK and the audiology professional bodies, Specsavers is committed to coming together as an industry, driving change and helping people live healthier for longer. »
Harrison continued: « This is only the start of our partnership with Tinnitus UK. We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration through the delivery of webinars, and we are excited to have Tinnitus UK at our annual Professional Advancement Conference later this year. »
Danny Knight, Corporate Relationships Manager at Tinnitus UK, summed up his group’s perception of the success of the discussion, « This Tinnitus Week, the sector came together like never before […]The collaboration is life-changing for people living with tinnitus. When industry leaders come together like this to break down barriers, everyone benefits – most importantly customers and patients! »