Located a stone’s throw from the perimeter of the M25 sits the market town of Epsom. A popular spa resort in Georgian times, thanks to the discovery of local mineral salts, the town is best known today for being the home of the Derby.
Taking just under an hour to reach central London by train, Epsom is home to over 30,000 people, many of whom make the daily commute up to the capital for work. Yet, with several large parks, a couple of golf courses and a small shopping centre, the town offers its residents the perfect escape from the bedlam of the capital and was voted the best place to live in the UK in 2005.
With only two dedicated audiology practices in town, many of the high street opticians have integrated audiology services to give locals greater access to hearing care.
‘We get a big mixture of people from all different backgrounds when it comes to customers’, said Karolina Ruprik, hear care director at Specsavers Epsom. Ruprik has been positioned in the town since 2010 — originally working one day a week. However, with an increase in demand for its audiology services, the Epsom centre in now open five days a week, with Ruprik splitting her time between Epsom and other Specsavers.
Despite having precious little room to run her services alongside an ever-expanding optometry department, Ruprik still offers her patients a full service. As well as conducting free hearing tests, the Epsom audiology centre also offers a wax removal service.
By working alongside the eye care industry, Ruprik (pictured left) believes hybrid practices are encouraging people to consider the importance of hearing care. ‘If we didn’t do hearing tests in the high street for free, I don’t think this many people would have their hearing tested. And during a hearing test we can find out whether they have any more serious health conditions.’
Further along the high street, Simon Sullivan, audiologist at Amplifon Epsom, is enjoying life in Surrey since relocating from Finchley in 2012. ‘I love it here,’ he said. ‘I was in north London for 12 years, but since I came to Epsom I wouldn’t work anywhere else.’
Sullivan is ‘constantly inundated’ with patients after building up a reputation. However, the audiologist admits he struggles to see the volume of patients. ‘I’m too busy,’ he said. ‘The only thing that bugs me is when I’m so busy and people need to be seen, I want to see them, but I logistically can’t fit them in’.
Despite having two dispensing rooms, Sullivan admitted that finding another audiologist to work at his practice was proving hard to achieve. ‘I could really do with another audiologist, but there are no spare ones about, quite the opposite. As far as I’m aware, there’s a global shortage,’ Sullivan said.
Who’s in town
Total audiology centres: 5
Independent audiologists: 1
Multiples for audiology: 4
Optometry-audiology providers: 3
Average costs
Prices of a hearing examination range from £0 to £95. Audiology tests are free for patients referred on from the NHS, with some businesses offering a free hearing test with no obligation to purchase an aid.
Population- see pie chart
Total population of Epsom 31,474 (ONS 2011)
Health and affluence
- The average house price in Epsom is £539,780 (Zoopla) compared with a UK average of £223,257 (Land Registry, 2017)
- Epsom has an average salary price of £25,202 (PayScale, 2017)
- In the borough of Epsom and Ewell, 21% of adults have hearing loss(NCHA Hearing Map, 2016)
- Meanwhile, 96% of adults with hearing loss are aged 41+ (NCHA)
- In 2014 there were 8.8 million people in England with a hearing loss, this will increase to 9.8 million by 2020 and 12.9 million by 2030 (NCHA)
Fun facts
Epsom appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Evesham’. In the land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror, the settlement had a value of £17 per year and was held by Chertsey Abbey.
After the discovery of water rich in magnesium sulphate by local villager Henry Wicker, Epsom became a popular spa town in the 17th century. People flocked to the town to drink the water which was said to possess healing powers, including famous writer and politician Samuel Pepys.
In 1913, Emily Wilding Davison, a women’s suffrage activist, stepped in front of King George V’s horse in the Epsom Derby. The suffragette,died four days later.