NHS Earwax Removal in Devon: What's Changed and What to Do Now

What Has Changed with NHS Earwax Removal

For decades, earwax removal was a routine service at GP surgeries across England. A patient would notice their hearing had gone muffled, call the practice, and within a week or two a nurse would syringe or irrigate the wax out. It was straightforward, free, and effective. That's no longer the case for a large proportion of the population.

The withdrawal began in 2020, when NHS England reclassified earwax removal as a "low clinical value" procedure and removed the contractual obligation for GP practices to provide it. Individual Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) — the bodies that commission most NHS services locally — were left to decide whether to fund it. Many chose not to.

The RNID's Stop the Block report, published in March 2025, found that 8.1 million people in England now live in areas where the NHS provides zero earwax removal support. Almost half of all ICBs are still not providing the service in line with NICE public health guidelines. In areas with no service, patients with earwax build-up have no NHS pathway at all — they must either pay privately or manage it themselves.

In Devon, the situation mirrors the national picture. Many GP practices across the county have reduced or stopped offering earwax removal. Patients who previously received routine treatment from a practice nurse are now being told to use olive oil drops at home and, if that doesn't work, to seek private care. The NHS website itself acknowledges that "not all GP surgeries remove earwax buildup" and that patients "might have to pay to have the treatment done privately."

Why GP Practices Stopped Offering It

The short answer is funding. When NHS England removed the contractual requirement for GP practices to provide earwax removal, it also removed the associated payment. Without that funding, practices that had been offering the service faced a choice: absorb the cost themselves, or stop.

Many stopped. The reasons practices cite include the loss of contractual mandate, the cost of maintaining equipment (ear irrigation machines require regular servicing and calibration), and the difficulty of training and retaining staff with the necessary skills. Some practices also point to the COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerant — when aerosol-generating procedures were suspended in 2020, many practices simply never reinstated them.

The clinical case for restoring the service is strong. NICE guideline NG207, published in 2020, is explicit: when earwax causes symptoms and self-care has failed, patients should be offered professional removal — either electronic ear irrigation or microsuction. The British Academy of Audiology, the RNID, and multiple patient groups have called on the government to restore universal NHS access. As of early 2026, the service remains unavailable in a large proportion of England.

The RNID estimates that 2.3 million people in the UK require professional earwax removal every year. Without NHS access, the majority of those people are left to choose between paying privately, attempting self-removal, or living with the symptoms — which can include significant hearing loss, tinnitus, earache, and dizziness.

Who Is Most Affected in Devon

Not everyone is equally affected by the withdrawal of NHS earwax removal. Certain groups produce more wax, experience more frequent impaction, and are therefore more dependent on regular professional removal. In Devon — a county with a notably older-than-average population and high rates of hearing aid use — these groups are well represented.

Devon's rural geography adds another layer of difficulty. Patients in towns like Holsworthy, Great Torrington, or Okehampton may face significant travel to reach any NHS service that still offers earwax removal — assuming one exists within their ICB area. For elderly patients or those without reliable transport, this is a genuine barrier to care.

What the Clinical Guidelines Actually Say

There's an important distinction between NHS funding policy and clinical guidance. The withdrawal of NHS earwax removal is a commissioning decision — a financial one. It is not based on a clinical finding that the service is unnecessary or ineffective. The clinical guidelines say the opposite.

"Offer ear irrigation or microsuction to remove earwax if the person has tried ear drops for 5 days and the earwax has not cleared, or if the person cannot use ear drops."

— NICE Guideline NG207: Hearing Loss in Adults (2020)

NICE NG207 is unambiguous. When earwax causes symptoms and ear drops haven't resolved the problem, professional removal is the recommended treatment. The guideline doesn't suggest waiting indefinitely or accepting the symptoms. It recommends action.

The gap between what NICE recommends and what many NHS patients can actually access is precisely what the RNID's Stop the Block campaign is trying to close. Until that gap is closed, patients in Devon who need professional earwax removal and can't access it through their GP have a clear alternative: private ear care clinics that follow the same NICE-recommended methods.

The Risks of Waiting or Self-Managing

When professional removal isn't available, people improvise. The RNID's research has documented the extent to which patients are turning to methods that carry genuine risks — not because they're reckless, but because they have no other option.

Cotton buds are the most common problem. They don't remove wax — they push it deeper into the canal, compacting it against the eardrum. This makes the blockage worse and can cause real damage: perforated eardrums, infections, and in some cases permanent hearing loss. The NHS website explicitly advises against using cotton buds in the ear canal, but without a clear alternative, many people continue to use them.

Ear candles have no clinical evidence supporting their use and carry documented risks including burns, fire, and wax deposits in the ear canal. The NHS and NICE both advise against them.

Delayed treatment also carries costs. Earwax impaction causes conductive hearing loss — the kind that resolves when the wax is removed. But prolonged impaction can affect balance, contribute to tinnitus, and increase the risk of ear infections. For hearing aid wearers, untreated wax build-up damages devices and reduces their effectiveness. The RNID found that one in five people unable to access earwax removal reported poor mental health and feelings of isolation as a result.

The RNID's survey found that nearly half of those experiencing symptoms reported hearing loss, a third experienced earache, and a quarter developed tinnitus. These are not trivial outcomes. They're the predictable consequences of a treatable condition going untreated.

Your Options in Devon Right Now

If your GP practice no longer offers earwax removal, you have a few realistic paths forward. Understanding which one is right for your situation depends on the severity of your symptoms, your medical history, and what's available near you.

If you're unsure whether your symptoms are caused by earwax or something else, a private ear health assessment will tell you. A qualified practitioner will examine both ears with an otoscope, determine whether wax is present and whether removal is appropriate, and advise you on the best course of action — including whether you need to see a GP for something unrelated to wax.

Where We Cover in Devon

Earwax Removal Devon provides professional microsuction and ear irrigation across 14 locations in Devon, with home visits available for patients who can't travel. There's no GP referral required and no waiting list. You can book directly.

If you're outside these areas or unable to travel, home visits are available across a wider area of Devon. Contact us to discuss your location and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

What to Expect at a Private Earwax Removal Appointment

If you've never had professional earwax removal before — or if your previous experience was NHS ear syringing with a metal syringe — it's worth knowing what modern private ear care looks like. The methods used today are significantly safer and more comfortable than the old-style syringing that many patients remember.

Every appointment begins with an otoscope examination — a lit instrument that allows the practitioner to see inside the ear canal. This confirms whether wax is present, how much there is, how hard or soft it is, and whether the eardrum is intact. This visual assessment is what makes modern ear care safe: the practitioner can see exactly what they're doing throughout the procedure.

Microsuction — the preferred method in line with NICE NG207 — uses a fine suction probe to remove wax under direct visualisation. There's no water involved, no risk of infection from water entering the middle ear, and no pressure on the eardrum. Most patients find it comfortable; some notice a brief high-pitched sound from the suction. The whole procedure typically takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Ear irrigation uses a controlled flow of warm water to flush wax out of the canal. It's appropriate for softer wax and for patients whose wax has been pre-softened with drops. The practitioner will assess which method is more suitable for your presentation. If you've been using olive oil drops for a few days before your appointment, mention this — it helps the practitioner choose the right approach.

NHS vs Private Earwax Removal in Devon: A Practical Comparison

For patients weighing their options, the differences between NHS and private ear care in Devon come down to access, waiting time, method, and cost.

Questions Patients Ask Us