MONDAY, 14 JANUARY, 2019

For immediate release

New ear care service opens in Angus

A new ear care service will be introduced in mid January as part of the Angus Primary Care Improvement Plan.

In Angus this new service will be available as of 16 January, offering ear care clinics in Monifieth, Carnoustie, Arbroath, Montrose, Stracathro and Forfar. These clinics are for people who have problematic ear wax.

Ear wax is normal in a healthy ear and provides a protective coating of the skin in the ear canal and should not normally need to be interfered with. However, if the ear wax builds up creating a wax plug, this may cause problems such as dulled hearing or discomfort. The use of hearing aids and cotton tips increase the chance a build-up of ear wax in the ear canals.

Rhona Guild, primary care manager in Angus, said “Ear wax can normally be managed through the use of ear drops which are available over the counter in all pharmacies. Almond oil drops, olive oil drops or sodium bicarbonate drops are all suitable. People who have a history of perforated eardrum should not use these ear drops. Everyone else with problematic wax should try ear drops for one week in the first instance.

“If the ear drops do not work properly, or if the patient has problematic ear wax, the patient can now call the ear care clinic coordinator to arrange a suitable ear care appointment with the specialist team at a local clinic, without the need to contact or attend their GP surgery.

“These clinics will be delivered by specialist nurses, who will use a technique called micro suction. This allows the inside of the ear to be closely examined using a binocular microscope or Loupes, the ear wax can then be removed using a small suction tool rather than the syringing technique previously used.”

Appointments can be booked via the ear care clinic coordinators who can be contacted on 01382 596965. Patients attending audiology or hearing aid clinics who are found to have wax build-up in their ears will be booked directly into these clinics by the Audiology team. The nurses delivering the clinic will liaise with your general practice and ensure information about the ear care delivered is recorded within your GP record.

The press release is sent on the behalf of the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership.
Contact:

Carin Pettersson

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740716