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The Benefits of AIHHP Membership

AIHHP is a professional association dedicated to promoting excellence within the UK Hearing Care profession. Our community of members is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethics within the private sector; and delivering top-tier hearing healthcare services across the UK.

Open to Qualified Professionals:

AIHHP membership is available to any independent HAD (or those with equivalent qualifications); HCA’s and students studying for an Audiology degree who are employed by an AIHHP Practice member.

Supportive Network:

AIHHP offers a strong support network. Our events and members’ forums are highly regarded, providing a platform for sharing best practices, discussing audiology advancements, advice as well as lending a listening ear during challenging times.

Membership Levels:

New members initially join at the associate level. As you demonstrate your ability to meet AIHHP’s strict criteria, you can progress to ‘Practice’ membership at which point your practice/clinic also gains the status of being an AIHHP Centre of Excellence. Read more further down this page for more detail about each membership level.

All members must adhere to AIHHP’s Code of Professional Conduct and the AIHHP Guidelines.

Join us today and be a part of a community that values excellence in hearing healthcare.

Our Mission

AIHHP’s primary objective is to promote and maintain exceptional professional and ethical standards in hearing healthcare. We put the welfare of our clients first, ensuring they receive the best care possible. We also emphasise an open, fair respectful conduct towards colleagues, to ensure our association is held in the highest regard.

AIHHP is dedicated to ensuring that all members feel comfortable, respected, and valued; and it is a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of their background, identity, or experiences. By embracing diversity, we create opportunities for our members to learn from one another’s unique perspectives, helping them develop and grow not only professionally but also as individuals.

Joining AIHHP

Joining AIHHP indicates that you aspire to provide the best quality service to your clients and are committed to self-development and the development of your staff and business. You also commit to uphold the AIHHP Code of Professional Conduct and to adhere to AIHHP’s Guidelines.

There are three levels of membership:

Practice Member (Centre of Excellence)
Associate Member
Honorary Life Member

AIHHP is dedicated to promoting best practice in the independent hearing healthcare sector. We support and represent the interests of small to medium, owner-managed hearing healthcare practices, ensuring they provide the highest standards of care and service to their clients.

We foster a respectful, inclusive community where members conduct themselves with integrity, and everyone is welcome.

Please read AIHHP’s ‘Membership Structure’ document HERE.

Please email Shona Jackson, membership secretary, for further information or if you would like to join AIHHP: membership@aihhp.org

Associate Members

Associate Membership is open to any business that meets the Associate Membership requirements set out below. Any business wishing to join AIHHP must initially apply to Associate Member status.

All HCPC-registered Hearing Aid Dispensers (HADs) and Hearing Care Assistants (HCAs) employed by an AIHHP Associate Member business are Associated Members. There shall be a representative of the business (usually the owner or clinical lead) who will maintain Associate Membership requirements. Associate owners must aspire to Practice Membership.

Students employed by Associate Members join without fee.

Associate Membership is held at business level; individual employed HADs and HCAs cannot hold Associate Membership independently of an Associate Member business.

Associate Membership Requirements

Associate Membership is open to any business that meets the Associate Membership requirements set out below. Any business wishing to join AIHHP must initially apply to Associate Member status.

Associate Member Business Owners will:

Maintain their registration with the HCPC (Hearing Aid Dispensers / Healthcare Scientists only).
Maintain an up-to-date DBS check, not older than three years, for the duration of membership.
Not be a franchisee.
Be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Have Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance.

Associate Members will:

Not imply the acronym AIHHP is a qualification.
Abide by the AIHHP Code of Professional Conduct.
Use integrity and be transparent with marketing strategies.
Accept that disputes between members will be resolved by mediation where appropriate.
Ensure all clinical procedures are performed to BSA-published guidelines.
Maintain infection control to BSA-recommended guidelines.
Use a hearing aid outcome measure (e.g. COSI, IOI-HA or similar).
Associate Members may be entitled to reduced rates for meetings.
Associate Members may not use the Association’s logo.
Associate Membership will be reviewed after two years.

It is a requirement of an Associate Business owner or their representative that they disclose on an annual basis the number of any HCPC-registered Hearing Aid Audiologists (RHADs) and Hearing Care Assistants (HCAs) in their employ, as membership fees are based on the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of these roles.

Membership fees are now charged per business, based on Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed HADs and HCAs, rather than a flat individual membership fee. Please see our fees HERE.

Practice Members

All HCPC-registered Hearing Aid Dispensers (HADs) and Hearing Care Assistants (HCAs) employed by an AIHHP Centre of Excellence business are Practice Members. There shall be a representative of the business (usually the owner or clinical lead) who will maintain Practice Membership requirements.

Students employed by Practice Members join without fee.

Practice Membership Requirements

Practice Membership is open to any Associate Member business that meets the Practice Membership requirements set out below.

Membership fees are now charged per business for both Associate & Practice Members, based on Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed HADs and HCAs, rather than a flat individual membership fee. Please see our fees HERE.

Practice Membership Business Owners will:

Maintain a controlling interest in their company (50% ownership by the main representative with full clinical control is acceptable, or in a family-owned business the family must own >50% of the shares).
Not be a franchisee.
Maintain a physical, permanently staffed practice dedicated to hearing care.
Be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Have Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance.
Attend (or have their appointed representative attend) a face-to-face AIHHP meeting prior to their upgrade being approved.

Practice Owners and Members will:

Maintain their registration with the HCPC (Hearing Aid Dispensers / Healthcare Scientists only).
Submit an up-to-date DBS check, not older than three years, and maintain this for the duration of membership.
Use secure electronic data systems to record and store client records.
Abide by any mandatory training programmes that may be laid down by AIHHP.
Be willing to mentor a new AIHHP member where able.
Not imply the acronym AIHHP is a qualification.
Abide by the AIHHP Code of Professional Conduct.
Use integrity and be transparent with marketing strategies.
Accept that disputes between members will be resolved by mediation where appropriate.
Ensure all clinical procedures are performed to BSA-published guidelines.
Maintain infection control to BSA-recommended guidelines.
Use a hearing aid outcome measure (e.g. COSI, IOI-HA or similar).
Provide aural care (both irrigation and microsuction).
Have the equipment and expertise available to perform the following assessments:
- Real-ear measurement
- Tympanometry
- Audiometry with insert earphones
- Speech audiometry
- Video otoscopy

A soundproofed room, a sound-treated room, or a soundproof booth are the most ideal spaces for clinics to maintain ambient sound levels below 35 dBA and should be in place wherever possible.

Where a clinic does not have the capacity to incorporate a soundproofed room, a sound-treated room, or a soundproof booth, action should be taken to maximally reduce ambient noise. This may include using a room at the rear of a location, as far from a road as possible, and using insert earphones or similar to reduce the impact of external noise.

All new requests for upgrade to Practice Membership must provide a video of their location starting from outside and moving to the location used for audiometry. Where no soundproof room, sound-treated room, or soundproof booth is used, insert earphones or similar must be displayed in the video.

It is a requirement of a Practice Business owner or their representative that they disclose on an annual basis the number of any HCPC-registered Hearing Aid Audiologists (RHADs) and Hearing Care Assistants (HCAs) in their employ, as membership fees are based on the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of these roles.

The business owner or main representative is expected to attend all AIHHP in-person meetings and the AGM.

Any RHADs or HCAs of a Practice Member may use, if they so choose, the following initials after their name to indicate and demonstrate their membership level within the Association:

AIHHP Practice Member and/or AIHHP Centre of Excellence

All businesses that are Practice Members may use the logo and term: AIHHP Centre of Excellence

All members must join AIHHP as an associate member initially.
AMs can then put themselves forward for executive membership, assuming they have the required standards.
AMs initially attend a minimum of one meeting as an associate member.
At the next conference, which must follow on directly after their 1st conference they will have guest attendance at the Saturday meeting, which is usually only open to executive and full members (e.g. attend the spring meeting as an AM and your EM upgrade will be reviewed at the Autumn meeting of the same year).

The Upgrade Process

AIHHP Council review upgrade applications at each council conference meeting.
2/3 council members will meet with applicant at the conference for an informal chat; these council members will be arranged at the meeting.
The upgrade decision will be made either at the conference or next council conference call when standards have been met; by blind vote.
The applicant will be informed by the membership secretary/ announced at the conference EFM meeting depending on when the decision is made.

To find out more about membership, or to join, please email: membership@aihhp.org or complete our form here.