Earache and the NHS

[DetailMouse]

Why has the NHS stopped doing syringing? Is it cost or is there a reason they don't think it's appropriate anymore?

I had a nasty cold about 2 months ago and an earache alongside it, which has never gone away. I'm not in ear infection agony, but it is quite uncomfortable.

Anyway I was "navigated" to the practice nurse rather than GP and she says there's a wax build up, use olive oil twice a day for a week and come back. Which I did. She said there's no improvement, do it for another week and come back. I did and same again.

So I've had 3 NHS appointments because they won't syringe it and potentially another (although I've decided not to go back). How long would this go on for and what's the cost compared to doing what's needed in the first place?

I know I can go and get it done privately, but the nurse has never suggested that to me, advice is to keep going with the olive oil and keep going back to see if it's cleared.

If it's for cost cutting reasosn it seems a false economy to me.

Cost -staff time, no funding for the procedure, loss of revenue due to missing out payable procedures & non compliance of patients.

For our surgery it was a 20 min appointment to do both ears. People would book in then declare they hadn’t used olive oil or sodium bicarb as directed and the wax was too hard to remove. This meant another appointment and, they often decided they didn’t want to do drops in both ears at the same time because if affected their hearing too much, so they ended up having an hours worth of appointments, that the surgery received no money for, but still had to pay staff wages to carry out. Your 3 x 10 min slots still won’t have cost as much as an hours worth of irrigation appointments.

I know I can go and get it done privately, but the nurse has never suggested that to me

If you know, why haven’t you just had it done instead of accepting further appointments? Honestly, the abuse staff get from people for daring to suggest they buy a £10 home BP monitor, buy their own paracetamol instead of requesting prescriptions, pay to have their ears syringed… they don’t get paid enough.

If you know, why haven’t you just had it done instead of accepting further appointments?

Because, silly me, I'm taking the advice of the medical professional who's treating me and telling me it's unnecessary.

In my experience olive oil is rubbish for clearing ear wax if it’s very stubborn. You need sodium bicarb drops or sodium hydrogen peroxide (Otex has this). It dissolves and breaks it up so it can come out in bits, much easier. Otex also do a version with a bulb syringe that you use at home after a week or two of drops. Worked brilliantly on me. But then our surgery is miles away and very hard to see anyone so I wouldn’t consider going there myself tbh. As pp says, there’s no money to pay for syringing now and I have a feeling I read somewhere that it carries higher risks of ear drum damage and ‘rebound’ wax and infections as a certain amount is normal.

I read somewhere that it carries higher risks of ear drum damage and ‘rebound’ wax and infections as a certain amount is normal.

This is why I haven't just done it. The expert is telling me it's no longer recommended.

The same reason they don’t poke around with scissors etc anymore. Because it’s horrendous, dangerous and old fashioned and the reason my uncle is deaf, as they tore his ear drum whilst performing it. You can pay an audiologist to do it formula though.

They do ear vacuuming at hospital now, it’s bliss.

Ours stopped doing it last December. They were, I think, one of the last places.locally that did. Receptionists are telling people they can get it done privately. I have a ds who needs it done from time to time and he is on benefits due to disability and can't afford the £50-60. Looks like bank of Mum and Dad will be needed