On 30 June, Members of Parliament visited RNID’s ear and hearing health event in Westminster to understand the barriers people face in accessing vital audiology and ear wax removal services.
Inside the hearing health event
MPs and parliamentary staff were invited to step inside a mobile clinic to try out a range of ear and hearing health checks, including video ear examinations, hearing checks and ear wax removal. During their visit, they experienced the services first-hand and learned more about how ear wax build-up and untreated hearing loss can affect people’s health, wellbeing and ability to stay connected.
The event highlighted the importance of accessible hearing care and the challenges many people in England face in getting the support they need.
MPs and services come together
We hosted the event in partnership with Hear for Norfolk (the operating name of Norfolk Deaf Association), a Norfolk-based charity that brought one of their mobile health clinics to Speaker’s Court in Parliament. It was co-sponsored by Peter Prinsley MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Deafness, and Alison Griffiths MP, Vice Chair of the APPG.
Among those who attended were Sharon Hodgson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care, and Helen Maguire MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer.
Peter Prinsley MP, said:
As a former ENT surgeon, I have seen first-hand how vital timely access to ear and hearing care is for patients’ health and quality of life.
Simple interventions like ear wax removal can make an immediate difference, yet too often people are left waiting or unable to access care at all. At the same time, untreated hearing loss is associated with serious wider health risks, including depression and falls.
Events like this are essential in helping Parliamentarians understand both the clinical importance of these services and the urgent need to ensure they are available to everyone who needs them.”
Pressures on hearing care services
The event also highlighted the wider pressures facing audiology and ENT services. Long waiting times and limited access to ear wax removal leave many people unable to access timely care, with some left in discomfort or unable to proceed with hearing assessments or treatment.
Ear wax removal is not an optional extra, but an essential part of hearing healthcare.
When left untreated, ear wax can cause pain, infection and significant barriers to communication, as well as delaying diagnosis and treatment.
A national challenge
Across the UK, more than 18 million people are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Access to timely, effective hearing care can have a transformative impact on people’s lives. Currently, of the estimated 10 million adults in the UK who could benefit from hearing aids, only around 3 million use them.
Getting the right hearing care can help support people to stay connected, maintain relationships and remain in work. It can also reduce the risk of wider health issues such as social isolation and depression.
However, access to services remains inconsistent, with too many people still unable to get the care they need, particularly for ear wax removal and timely audiology appointments.
Crystal Rolfe, Director for Strategy at RNID, said:
It was very encouraging to see such strong engagement from Members of Parliament and a genuine want to understand the challenges around the current state of local audiology services and waiting times.
For too long, people have faced unnecessary barriers in accessing hearing health services because the right support systems have not been in place. Too many people are currently left with untreated ear wax and unmanaged hearing loss, which can cause avoidable pain, communication difficulties, and social isolation.
Access to essential hearing care shouldn’t depend on where you live. Across England, access to proven, cost-effective services such as ear wax removal and NHS hearing aids is inconsistent.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with MPs to restart waiting time tracking for audiology services in England, and urge them to publish a modern service framework for hearing health to improve and expand access to high-quality audiology and wax removal services.”
Take action on hearing care
The event forms part of our ongoing campaign to improve access to hearing healthcare across the UK. We are calling for:
- consistent access to ear wax removal services
- better data on audiology waiting times
- a modernised approach to hearing health that ensures no one is left behind
Join us in calling for an urgent review of ear wax removal services.
