GP practices should continue to provide vital ear wax removal services, a leading audiologist says.

A research team led by Professor Kevin Munro, at The University of Manchester and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has highlighted the difficulties people face when they have impacted ear wax. Writing in the British Journal of General Practice, the authors say despite the withdrawal of services, impacted ear wax is still a major reason for GP consultations, with more than two million people in the UK requiring it. The problem is particularly acute in care homes, where it affects up to 44% of residents with dementia.

The team surveyed 500 adults who used NHS ear wax removal services and found that nine out of 10 said hearing difficulty was at least moderately bothersome, while six out of ten reported it to be very/extremely bothersome. More than eight out of ten people reported an immediate improvement after treatment.

Professor Munro said: “If anyone tries simulating the effect of impacted wax by walking around with their fingers plugging their ears for a few days, they’ll soon realise that it is a serious issue. The recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) could not be clearer – NHS ear wax removal services should be provided in the community. There are multiple reasons why GP surgeries are ceasing to provide ear wax removal services. The traditional method of syringing ears is no longer recommended but there are newer and safer methods for flushing wax out of the ear. There is also a misunderstanding that using ear drops to soften the wax will be enough to resolve the problem but there is little evidence to support this claim. Once the wax has been softened, it needs to be flushed out of the ear or vacuumed up, neither of which can be done at home without expertise.”

He suggested that GP surgeries collaborate as a network because modern ear wax removal equipment can easily be moved to different locations.

The study highlights concerns raised about people being referred to hospital-based ear wax clinics, which results in long waiting times and poor use of specialist services. Last year, a Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) report, Access blocked: the impact of cutting NHS ear wax removal services, found how many people are being forced to pay £50 to £100 every time they need the ear wax to be removed, despite the fact that more than a quarter of respondents said it was a service they could not afford.