Cornwall has been revealed as one of the worst places for ear wax removal in England.
A new report released by RNID – the charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss and tinnitus – shows that Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is one of seven Integrated Care Boards (ICB) that don’t commission ear wax removal services at all, leaving nearly 600,000 people with no support.
Backed by the UK’s leading audiology professional bodies, the charity is calling for an urgent government review to ensure everyone who needs ear wax removal can access it on the NHS.
Ear wax build-up can cause painful and distressing symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus and earache; lead to social isolation and poor mental health; and delay or prevent essential hearing care, such as getting a hearing test or being fitted for a new hearing aid.
An estimated 2.3 million people in the UK require professional ear wax removal every year.
Older people, hearing aid users and people with learning disabilities are more likely to be at risk, with requiring the service several times a year.
But ear wax removal on the NHS is a postcode lottery, as increasingly this service is no longer offered by GP surgeries, and fewer than half of commissioners meet official guidelines.
A 2022 RNID report found that two thirds (66%) of people with ear wax build-up were told the service was not available on the NHS, leaving them to suffer in silence or pay for private services, which 26 per cent said they couldn’t afford.
Now, new research based on Freedom of Information requests reveals that out of 42 ICBs in England, only 18 fully commission ear wax removal services in line with guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
A further 15 ICBs partially commission services, with most providing ear wax removal within limited areas inside their geographical footprint and others implementing restrictive criteria such as only offering the service to over-55s, against NICE guidelines.
Victoria Boelman, director of insight and policy at RNID, said: “It’s absolutely wrong that people who need ear wax removal to be able to hear and take part in everyday life are being left to face painful and debilitating symptoms, forced to fork out for private treatment, or risk dangerous self-removal methods.
“There is no medical reason for the withdrawal of this vital service. This report exposes a horrifying reality for thousands of people being let down by commissioners who are neglecting public health guidelines.
“We’re calling for the Department of Health and Social Care to commission an urgent review to ensure that everyone who needs ear wax removal can access local NHS provision, whenever they need it.”