Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the (a) maximum and (b) minimum cost of an ear wax removal treatment by a private sector provider.

Details of the National Health Service provider costs are included in the National Cost Collection which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/

There are also unit prices for the “Clearance of External Auditory Canal (19 years and over)” and the “Clearance of External Auditory Canal (18 years and under)” published in Annex A of the NHS Payment Scheme which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2023-25-nhs-payment-scheme/

Where NHS England or Integrated Care Boards commission these services from private sector providers, the unit prices must be used.

However, the Department does not hold any information on the cost of these services delivered by private providers outside of the NHS, or what they may charge individuals for the service.