Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a NHS tariff price for ear wax removal services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have no plans to do so. Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups, which plan services to meet the needs of local communities. Local commissioners should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.
If a clinician considers removal clinically necessary, informed by guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in that area.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of removing excess ear wax from a patient in (a) primary care and (b) in hospital departments.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Within hospital settings, the average cost of removing excess ear wax is £127. Information on the average cost in primary care is not held centrally. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods to support the safe removal of ear wax.
However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in that area. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS patients who have been unable to access ear wax removal service in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No formal estimate has been made. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service, depending on the arrangements in place in the local area. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of the local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 impact on general practice of transferring hospital outpatient elective follow-ups to general practice; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England and NHS Improvement launched the National Outpatient Transformation Programme in April 2020. The programme supports patients through improving general practitioners’ access to specialist advice and guidance and empowering patients to initiate follow-up appointments when needed.
However, its aim is not to transfer hospital outpatient elective follow up appointments to general practice. NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned an independent evaluation to review primary care experiences of advice and guidance services. While qualitative reports showed that it placed time and resource demands on primary care, it can reduce waiting times for specialist input and unnecessary referrals.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what course of action is available to patients in the event that ear wax removal is not provided by a CCG and self care does not work.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.
If a clinician, informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what alternative arrangements are available for ear wax removal by NHS England where it is not commissioned by a CCG.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. Services should be planned to meet the needs of local communities, including ensuring the appropriate access to ear wax removal services.
General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. If a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in place.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK Nutrient Profiling Model 2018 review consultation, what plans his Department has to publish the outcomes of that consultation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maggie Throup
In 2016, Public Health England was commissioned to review the UK Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/5 algorithm to ensure it aligns with dietary recommendations, particularly for free sugars and fibre, from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. A consultation was held in 2018 which sought views on the modifications made to the UK NPM 2004/5, specifically its alignment with current UK dietary recommendations. The outcome of the review will be published in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provision there is for micro suction for ear wax removal across NHS England; how many micro suction facilities are available in (a) England and (b) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the latest NICE guidance is on water syringing for the removal of ear wax.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to risks associated, such as trauma to the ear drum or infection.
The NICE guideline on the assessment and management of hearing loss in adults includes recommendations on ear wax removal. The guidance suggests considering ear irrigation using an electronic irrigator, micro suction, or another method of earwax removal such as manual removal using a probe. Pre-treatment wax softeners are advised for use before carrying out ear irrigation. NICE’s guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations#removing-earwax
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What steps he is taking to increase patient access to GPs.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
On 14 October we published a comprehensive new plan to support general practitioners (GPs) and to make it easier for patients to see or speak to GPs and their teams.
Our plan is supported by a new £250 million Winter Access Fund to assist patients with urgent care needs to be seen by their practitioner on the same day, taking account of their preferences.