Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of NHS ear syringing treatment in the West Midlands.

The National Health Service will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up. Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection.

However, in line with NICE guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A general practice could then consider referring the patient into audiology services. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations – including for audiology and ear wax removal services.

ICBs should therefore arrange for the provision of ear wax removal services for when a patient has a clinical need for ear wax removal beyond home treatments.

The NICE published guidelines last year on hearing loss – and specifically on ear wax removal treatment, at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations#removing-earwax