Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of current provision of ear wax cleaning service by GP surgeries across England and (b) impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the ability of GPs to provide that service.
No assessment has been made. General practitioner practices increasingly recommend self-care methods as the primary means to support safe ear wax removal. If a practice considers removal clinically necessary, ear irrigation or microsuction as clinically appropriate should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service. Commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.