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Let me be straight with you. If you've been trying to get your ears syringed on the NHS recently and hit a wall, you're not imagining things. The service has genuinely disappeared for millions of people across England. And honestly, it's one of the most frustrating changes to happen in primary care over the past few years.
I see the fallout from this every single week. Patients come to us at Earwax Removal Devon confused, sometimes angry, and often in real discomfort because they've been told their GP surgery "no longer offers that service." They've been living with blocked ears, muffled hearing, and that horrible feeling of fullness for weeks—sometimes months—because they didn't know where else to turn.
So let's talk about what's actually happened, why it's happened, and what your options are right now.
The Short Answer
No, most people in England can no longer get their ears syringed free on the NHS. Not because the need has gone away—it hasn't—but because the funding and commissioning of this service has been quietly withdrawn across huge parts of the country.
8.1 million people in England now have zero access to NHS-funded ear wax removal, according to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). That's roughly the population of London.
The BBC reported in January 2024 that almost 10 million people in England could no longer access free NHS earwax removal services. The RNID sent Freedom of Information requests to all 42 integrated health boards across England. Of the 40 that responded, only 18 funded a full service. Fifteen had restricted eligibility or didn't offer the service across all their GP surgeries. And seven—covering areas like Cornwall, Dorset, and parts of London—commissioned no treatment at all.
Think about that for a moment. Seven entire health board regions with absolutely no provision for a service that around 2.3 million people in the UK need every year.
What Actually Changed?
Here's the thing. Ear wax removal used to be one of those bread-and-butter GP services. You'd ring your surgery, book an appointment with the practice nurse, and get your ears irrigated. It was quick, it was free, and it worked for most people. Not glamorous, but effective.
Then, starting around 2020, something shifted. NHS England reclassified ear wax removal. It moved from being a core GP service to something that individual Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) could choose whether or not to commission. In practical terms, that meant your local health board could decide it wasn't a priority and stop funding it.
And that's exactly what happened. One by one, GP surgeries across the country started telling patients they no longer offered ear syringing. Some practices put up notices. Others just stopped booking appointments for it. Many patients only found out when they rang up in discomfort and were told to "try olive oil drops."
The British Academy of Audiology called for the return of NHS GP ear wax removal services in April 2025, stating that everyone should have access to safe and affordable care in line with NICE guidelines. But the situation hasn't improved.
From April 2025, even more GP practices across England stopped offering ear syringing entirely.
Why This Matters More Than You'd Think
I know what some people are thinking. "It's just earwax. How bad can it be?" And look, I understand that reaction. Earwax doesn't sound like a serious medical issue. But earwax buildup can genuinely affect your quality of life in ways that catch people off guard.
Hearing loss from earwax impaction isn't subtle. When wax blocks your ear canal, sounds become muffled and distant. Conversations become difficult. You start asking people to repeat themselves. You turn the television up louder. You miss things in meetings. For older people especially, this kind of hearing difficulty can lead to social isolation and depression. Research published in the British Journal of General Practice confirmed that hearing difficulty from untreated wax impaction contributes to withdrawal from social situations and declining mental health.
Then there's tinnitus—that persistent ringing, buzzing, or humming that drives people to distraction. Earwax pressing against the eardrum is one of the most common causes. Dizziness and balance problems can follow. Earache. A feeling of pressure that won't shift. These aren't minor inconveniences. They affect your sleep, your concentration, your mood, and your ability to function normally.
The RNID's research found that nearly half of people affected by the withdrawal of NHS services experienced hearing loss. A third experienced earache. A quarter developed tinnitus. And one in five reported poor mental health as a direct consequence.
The NICE Guidelines Are Clear
Here's what makes this situation particularly frustrating. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has clear guidelines on this. NICE states that ear wax removal should be offered to adults by GP surgeries or other local ear care services when earwax buildup is contributing to hearing loss or causing other symptoms.
That's not ambiguous. It's not a suggestion. It's a quality standard. And yet, health boards across England are ignoring it.
The NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary on earwax management recommends that when self-care with ear drops hasn't resolved the problem, patients should be offered professional removal through either electronic water irrigation or microsuction. These are the two methods NICE considers appropriate for safe, effective earwax removal.
So the guidelines exist. The evidence is there. The need is documented. But the funding isn't following.
What the NHS Currently Advises
If you visit the NHS website page on earwax buildup, the advice is straightforward. They recommend trying self-care first: lie on your side with the affected ear facing up, put two to three drops of olive or almond oil in your ear, stay on your side for five to ten minutes, and repeat this three to four times a day for three to five days. Over about two weeks, lumps of earwax should fall out on their own.
The NHS also says you should see a nurse at your GP surgery if symptoms haven't cleared after five days, or if your ear is badly blocked and you can't hear anything. But here's the catch—when you do go to your GP surgery, there's a good chance they'll tell you they don't offer the treatment anymore.
Some GP surgeries can still flush the wax out with water (electronic ear irrigation) or suck the wax out (microsuction). But the NHS website itself acknowledges that "not all GP surgeries remove earwax buildup." If yours doesn't, a doctor might refer you to another local NHS service—if one exists in your area. Or, as the NHS puts it, "you might have to pay to have the treatment done privately."
The Postcode Lottery
This is what the RNID calls a "postcode lottery." Whether you can get your ears treated depends entirely on where you live. If you're in an area where the ICB still funds the service, you're fine. If you're not, you're on your own.
In Devon, the situation mirrors what's happening nationally. Many GP surgeries have reduced or stopped offering ear wax removal. Patients who used to get a quick appointment with the practice nurse are now being told to manage it themselves or go private.
Two in five people said they couldn't afford private ear wax removal, which typically costs between £55 and £100 per procedure. Some people need treatment several times a year—particularly hearing aid users, older adults, and people with narrow or unusually shaped ear canals.
When people can't access professional treatment and can't afford to go private, they start trying to sort it out themselves. And that's where things get dangerous.
The Risks of DIY Ear Wax Removal
The withdrawal of NHS services has pushed people towards home remedies and self-removal methods that carry genuine risks. The RNID has warned that millions of people are turning to "dangerous self-removal methods" because they have no other option.
Cotton buds are the most common culprit. People push them into their ear canals thinking they're cleaning out the wax, but they're actually compacting it further in, pushing it against the eardrum. This makes the blockage worse and can cause real damage—perforated eardrums, infections, and severe pain.
Ear candles don't work. The NHS states clearly that there's no evidence ear candles or ear vacuums get rid of earwax. They can, however, burn you, drip hot wax into your ear canal, and cause serious injury.
If you're considering syringing your ears at home, there are ways to do it more safely—but it's never without risk. The safest approach is always professional removal, where a trained practitioner can see what they're doing and respond to any complications immediately.
What Are Your Options Now?
So where does this leave you? If your GP surgery no longer offers ear wax removal and you're sitting there with blocked ears, here's what you can realistically do.
Try Self-Care First
Follow the NHS guidance. Use olive oil or almond oil drops—two to three drops, three to four times a day, for three to five days. Lie on your side and let the oil work its way in. This genuinely does help for mild to moderate wax buildup. It softens the wax and allows your ear's natural self-cleaning mechanism to do its job. Your jaw actually helps move earwax out of your ear canal through chewing and talking, so softened wax has a better chance of migrating out on its own.
You can also try sodium bicarbonate 5% ear drops, which are available from your pharmacist. NICE recommends these as an option alongside olive and almond oil.
Speak to Your Pharmacist
Your pharmacist can assess your situation and recommend appropriate over-the-counter ear drops. They can also advise whether your symptoms suggest something that needs medical attention rather than just wax removal. It's worth having this conversation before you do anything else.
Check Whether Your GP Still Offers the Service
Don't assume your surgery has stopped. Ring them and ask specifically. Some practices still offer ear irrigation or microsuction, even if they don't advertise it prominently. If they don't, ask whether they can refer you to a local NHS audiology service. In some areas, community clinics still provide the treatment.
Consider Private Professional Removal
This is where clinics like ours come in. At Earwax Removal Devon, we offer microsuction and ear irrigation at our clinic, and we also provide home visits for patients who can't travel easily. You can check our pricing page for current costs—we work hard to keep our fees affordable because we understand that this is a service people need, not a luxury.
Microsuction is the gold standard in ear wax removal. It's a dry procedure performed under direct vision, which means the practitioner can see exactly what they're doing throughout. There's no water involved, no mess, and no waiting around hoping it worked. You leave with clear ears and restored hearing.
We see patients from across Devon—Barnstaple, Bideford, Exeter, Plymouth, South Molton, Ilfracombe, and everywhere in between. Same-day appointments are often available, and for patients who are elderly, have mobility issues, or simply can't get to the clinic, our home visit service brings professional ear care to your doorstep.
Will the NHS Bring Back Free Ear Wax Removal?
Honestly, I don't know. The RNID is campaigning hard for it. The British Academy of Audiology is calling for change. Seventy-three per cent of people surveyed by the RNID believe ear wax removal should be free for everyone through the NHS. The clinical evidence supports it. The NICE guidelines recommend it.
But change in the NHS moves slowly, and funding decisions are made by individual health boards with competing priorities. The trend over the past five years has been towards withdrawal, not restoration. Some areas in Scotland and Wales have maintained better provision, but even there, patients report inconsistent access.
What I can tell you is this: waiting and hoping the service comes back isn't a strategy. If your ears are blocked now, you need help now. Not in six months when a policy might change.
You Don't Have to Put Up With Blocked Ears
Look, I understand the frustration. You've paid your taxes, you've contributed to the NHS your whole life, and now you're being told a basic service isn't available anymore. It doesn't feel fair. And honestly, it isn't fair.
But your hearing matters too much to leave it to chance. If you're experiencing symptoms of blocked ears—muffled hearing, tinnitus, earache, dizziness, that awful feeling of fullness—don't wait for the system to sort itself out. And please, don't start poking around in your ears with cotton buds or anything else.
If you're in Devon and need your ears looked at, book an appointment with us or call us on 01769 302119. We'll take a proper look, explain exactly what's going on, and get you hearing clearly again. It's what we do, every single day.
