The first person you will need to see is your GP. They will be able to check that your ears are free from wax and infection and refer you to your local ear, nose and throat (ENT) department.

Although GPs are trained to a very high level in a wide area of medicine they are not tinnitus experts and their knowledge about treatment for tinnitus may vary.

Make sure you tell your doctor that your tinnitus is a problem and how it is affecting you; for example, is it making you feel stressed, or giving you sleep problems? Are you finding it difficult to live with? It may be useful to take along some leaflets or factsheets about tinnitus.

The NHS service varies depending on where you live. The hospital will be able to let you know about the services it provides and the RNID Tinnitus Helpline can tell you about services across the country. Getting an NHS appointment may sometimes involve delays and waiting lists, so be prepared to wait.

Find out more on our tune out tinnitus site: