Professional Profile
Practice
Following that, in 2008 she also started her Private Practice which has steadily grown. Mrs Mehta is committed to continued professional development in the workplace. As a part of this, she has attended various National and International courses and conferences. She has also developed a keen interest in Tinnitus Retraining and Vestibular Rehabilitation, and currently this is her main area of work in the NHS. To further enhance her expertise in these areas, she has attended training courses at the University College London (UCL) in Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Management and Vestibular Rehabilitation.
Mrs Mehta is a member of the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS), previously also known as Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP), a member of the British Academy of Audiology (BAA), and is an associate member of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists interested in Vestibular Rehabilitation (ACPIVR). She is registered with the Private Practice Register and is a recognised provider with all major insurance companies.
Over the years, in her role as an NHS Audiologist, Mrs Mehta has worked in different areas of audiology including adult and paediatric diagnostic and rehabilitative audiology.
Mrs Mehta is part of the South London Regional group for Tinnitus, set up by the British Tinnitus Association and she attends their quarterly meetings. She is also part of the South of England Regional Balance Interest Group. She regularly attends the British Tinnitus Association’s and ACPIVR’s annual conferences.
Teaching
In 2024, Mrs Mehta was invited to deliver a talk on Scope of Vestibular Rehabilitation in the South London Otorhinolaryngology Regional Teaching Day which was attended by ENT colleagues.
Mrs Mehta can undertake hearing assessments including Pure Tone Audiometry (including AC and BC masking), Tympanometry, Acoustic Reflex Testing, Tinnitus Pitch and Loudness Matching, Uncomfortable Loudness Level testing, Positional Vestibular Tests to identify and treat Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) .
She also provides sessions for Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, Hyperacusis management, Auditory Training / Hearing Therapy Exercises and Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy.
Through her training, Mrs Mehta has developed a good knowledge of psychological based approaches like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Mindfulness, and she often uses these techniques to help her patients manage their tinnitus and dizzy symptoms providing a more holistic approach.
What is Vestibular Rehabilitation?
Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) consists of exercises to treat dizziness and balance problems. It is a very well established and accepted intervention for people suffering with balance and vestibular (inner ear)21798452 disorders.
Who can benefit from Vestibular Rehabilitation (VR)?
People with inner ear (vestibular) and central (brain) disorders can be helped with VR. Many people experience very real symptoms of dizziness and balance disturbance due to a problem with the function (or dynamics) of the balance system, and not due to a structural vestibular or neurological disease. These symptoms have many different names but are often described as functional disorders. Symptoms like these may also improve with VR.
What is Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)?
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a treatment for tinnitus that combines sound therapy and counselling to help people become less aware of their tinnitus. It's one of the most common treatments for tinnitus. Over time, TRT can help people notice tinnitus less and feel less distressed by their symptoms.
Hyperacusis is a disorder in loudness perception. People suffering from hyperacusis may appear overly sensitive to a range of sounds, finding many noises unbearable and painfully loud. Sound therapy is used to get used to everyday sounds again, and may involve wearing earpieces that make white noise. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be used to change the way you think about your hyperacusis and reduce anxiety.
Auditory training aims to compensate for degradation in the auditory signal and is offered as an intervention to help alleviate the most common complaint in people with hearing loss i.e., understanding speech in a background noise. Auditory Training can also be helpful to people with sudden sensorineural hearing loss or people getting used to their hearing aids.
Personal Life
She lives with her husband, who is also a practicing Audiologist and their young daughter. In her spare time she loves to read thrillers, mysteries, and other types of suspense fiction.
Patient Feedback
'I had a really positive experience when visiting Shirley Oaks Hospital. I’ve had a number of scary episodes, where I feel dizzy and about to pass out. This left me feeling very anxious. I saw ENT consultant, Mr Robert Harris, who was very personable, reassuring and helpful. Mr Harris recommended audiologist Neha Mehta. Neha identified Vestibular hypo function and reassured me that with balance therapy things will improve. I was super impressed with Neha’s knowledge and thorough explanation of my ear condition, and I felt reassured things would improve. I was given lots of balance exercise to do. Such a relief not to have to resort to medication. I’d never heard of balance therapy but after testing some of the exercises I feel confident it will help. Thank you.'
'I arrived as an outpatient at Shirley Oaks after struggling with a balance disorder for some time and after being seen as an outpatient with another ENT specialist at a different hospital who was unable to diagnose my condition. At Shirley Oaks I saw Dr. Harris who was very sympathetic and actually asked me how I was feeling rather than just reviewing my notes. He was immediately able to diagnose my condition and refer me to a specialist physiotherapist he works with at Shirley Oaks called Neha Mehta who has been amazing. In my first session Neha put me at ease, gave me a detailed explanation of what was causing my symptoms and provided a bespoke treatment plan after a thorough assessment. In our follow up appointments she has been always been very helpful, able to answer my queries and provided treatment plans that have given me the best chance to recover. I am very grateful I managed to find Dr.Harris and Neha and would highly recommend them to anyone suffering from a balance disorder.' - Anonymised Patient
