Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that GP practices are able to provide NHS-funded ear wax removal services, particularly for patients at risk of hearing loss.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations

This may involve commissioning general practices (GPs) or other providers, to whom GPs may refer patients, to provide ear wax removal services.

Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.

However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP may then refer the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.