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 potential merits of the NHS offering micro suction treatments to improve hearing (a) in addition to and (b) instead of syringing; what information his Department holds on the number of people whose impaired hearing is not improved by syringing; whether the NHS has plans to introduce micro suction as part of NHS Long-Term Plan; and if he will make a statement.

The management of ear wax removal is a decision that is taken at a local level by each clinical commissioning group informed by relevant clinical guidelines. The Department does not collect data on the impact of not syringing on hearing impairment. There are no plans to introduce micro suction as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

To support local practice the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline ‘NG98 on Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management’, was published in June 2018.