Someone who hasn’t actually been to Clear Ears Clinic gave a 1 star Google review stating “Should be free absolutely disgusting”.
Unfortunately, people suffering from a build-up of ear wax are no longer entitled to have their ears cleared for free by their GP practice. It is quite complex but effectively GP practices are private businesses and only get paid for delivering services that the Local Clinical Commissioning Group has agreed to pay for. Clearing ear wax is no longer on the list of services that Clinical Commissioning Groups will pay for and therefore GP practices stopped providing ear wax removal.
Some large organisations such as Boots began to offer ear wax removal services but have now also decided to stop providing the service as well.
This left many people (including my husband!) with nowhere to get their ears cleared. For those who don’t suffer from excessive ear wax it is difficult to understand how big an issue it actually is. In addition to the obvious loss of hearing many people experience discomfort and find it completely disorientating. In some cases, it can lead to infections and other complications. We have had patients attend Clear Ears Clinic who have not felt safe to drive or have not been able to do their job safely until the ear wax had been removed.
Clear Ears Service is based at the Bedford Consulting Rooms in central Bedford and offers a safe, caring and efficient ear wax removal service – please see the kind reviews from patients who have had their ears cleared. Ear syringing used to be the standard technique for ear wax removal. However, this is no longer the preferred approach for clearing ear wax and has been replaced by microsuction as the recommended method.
You can read more about the benefits of microsuction vs ear syringing here https://clearearsclinic.co.uk/ear-wax-removal-microsuction-vs-syringing/
We recognise that excessive ear wax can have a significant impact on the elderly who may not be able to travel to the clinic so we also offer a mobile service for home visits. We also visit care homes and retirement homes. We want to offer a community service and so we don’t charge extra for home visits.
The BBC also has an article explaining why ear wax removal is no longer free – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54296737
If you are suffering from excessive ear wax, please get in touch with Clear Ears Clinic on 01234 417318 to book an appointment to have your ears cleared.
