Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing ear wax irrigation services on the NHS, particularly for (a) patients who have a medical need for irrigation and (b) those who cannot afford private treatment.

Local commissioners are responsible for arranging for the provision of medical services to meet the reasonable needs of their populations. Commissioners should ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services, where these are clinically appropriate for patients.

General practitioner practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods to support the safe removal of ear wax and to prevent its build up. However, if a practice considers removal clinically necessary, ear irrigation or microsuction should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service.