Many people in Wales have reported huge difficulties in accessing ear wax removal services on the NHS. The majority of doctors surgeries are no longer offering ear irrigation on the NHS and the waiting list for Micro Suction at a hospital is at a record high. Anyone who has had an ear blocked with wax will know how debilitating it can be and to be told they must wait years to have it done through the NHS, or in some cases (e.g. If a person is housebound) not at all can be hard to take. If left untreated a blockage of earwax can cause temporary hearing loss and lead to a greater risk of ear infections.
But there is a solution! At Hearing Wales we offer Micro Suction at all four of our Welsh clinics – Cardiff, Mumbles, Narberth and Swansea.
What happens in the appointment?
Prior to the procedure you will be asked to fill out a consent form which includes some questions on your medical history, allowing the audiologist or hearing healthcare practitioner to determine if there are any concerns or risk factors before the process begins. They will then examine the ears to check the status of the wax. A microscope will be used to view the ears during the suction process, and the audiologist may use other instruments other than the suction probe to remove the wax. These include ear hooks, Jobson-Horne probes, and crocodile forceps. It is a painless procedure which is far safer than the irrigation (or syringing) method. This is in part because there is no water entering the ear canal and using the microscope means we can see every bit of your ear canal and eardrum throughout the procedure. Following the procedure, the wax removal specialist will check the ear canal and eardrum to ensure they are healthy and if there are any concerns, they will discuss with you and refer on to your GP for the concerns to be investigated further.
How much is it?
We charge £55 for a clinic micro suction appointment (although this is reduced to £45 for our hearing aid clients).
If you would like to book, or have any further questions get in touch with our friendly helpful staff at one of our clinics: 0800 3134304
Danielle Spencer
Senior Audiologist
