FOI/25/040
| Reference | FOI/25/040 |
|---|---|
| Description | Ear Wax Removal on the NHS |
| Date requested | 27/04/2024 |
| Attachments | N/A |
Request
I and many others are very concerned that there is no longer availability on the NHS to have this service done for free. Instead patients have been forced to undergo private treatment for £40.00+.
Evidently the reasoning behind the decision to remove this service from the auspices of the NHS was because it was classified as a service that was not essential. Thus on 20/06/2020 the then Government Healh Minsister , Edward Augur stated 'it was no longer one of the core services GPs are obliged to provide'.
However in a BBC report dated today 27/04/24 the Royal National Institute for the Deaf has stated ‘there was "no medical reason" for the withdrawal of NHS services across parts of England since 2019. And some people unable to afford private treatment were turning to "dangerous self-removal methods". (link to report as follows: Millions lose access to free NHS earwax removal - BBC News)
Thus my question(s) are as follows:
- Define exactly how much Government money Specsavers (as one example of a private provider for this service) were given in contracts; and which Ministers and MPs were involved in the campaign to inaugurate private practitioners.
- How many people have suffered detrimental effects to their hearing and related detrimental effects as causality of damaged hearing due to not being able to afford the private service.
Response
Nil response