Health bosses have pledged to consider whether ear wax removal services should be provided by GPs after being stopped.

A number of concerns have been raised by the public and Cornwall Council’s health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committee about the service no longer being made available.

However the service is not one which has to be provided by GP surgeries under both local and national guidelines.

Andrew Abbott, director of primary care at NHS Kernow, said that ear wax removal was considered to be an enhanced service.

He said that while it had been provided on a regular basis by GP surgeries across Cornwall pressures on time and workforce meant that it had been withdrawn.

Mr Abbott said that it was not something which is included in the GP contracts or something that NHS Kernow commissions locally.

But he said that NHS Kernow was set to review all enhanced services and said that ear wax removal would be included in that review to determine whether there was need and capacity for it to continue.

Mr Abbott told councillors that GP surgeries have “a finite workforce and a finite budget” and said that he felt that some services were being shifted from hospitals onto GP surgeries.

He said that in the review of enhanced services: “We may have to make some quite difficult decisions about what we do prioritise.”

Sue NIcholas said that ear syringing has been done in GP surgeries since the 1970s and was part of the normal service.

She said that one of the issues was that “nurses in GP surgeries, particularly the younger ones, have never been trained to do ear syringing”.

And she said she was concerned that there could be more problems caused for the health service from people doing their own ear wax removal.

She said: “I don’t think people realise how fragile ear syringing is. They don’t realise how much damage they can do to their own ears.”

Cllr Nicholas added: “I see no reason why it can’t be provided, it is not an enhanced service.

“It is GP surgeries trying to get more money for providing a service that they already provided.”

Mr Abbott said he did not agree with the last point but said he recognised a danger with people treating themselves.

He said: “I get quite worried when I see adveritising about buying stuff off Amazon or other providers to remove ear wax yourself. It doesn’t take too much to go too far and cause irreparable damage.”

John Pollard said that he was concerned that the loss of ear wax removal was the latest step in moving services which were previously offered by the health service into the private sector.

He said: “This is all part of a process of moving stuff from the NHS into the private sector.”

Cllr Pollard said that services that he used to get at a hospital were now provided by Specsavers.

He asked: “How many more are going to disappear from GP surgeries and put into the private sector?”

Mr Abbott said that personally he had not seen that there were plans to move services out of primary care and into the private sector.

However, he said that while there had been funding provided for secondary care in the NHS there had not been the same funding for primary care.

But he said that it was not just a matter of money but also an increase in demand on services.

Mr Abbott said: “The pressures on GPs are a combination of demand coming in the front door, workforce reaching retirement age and less people attracted to come into General Practice.”

The committee agreed to express concern that patients were unable to access services which were previously available and that they might have to pay for them privately.

Councillors also raised concern that the loss of the ear wax removal service could lead to hearing loss, pain or permanent injury. They also welcomed that the scrutiny committee would be involved with the development of the locally enhanced services review.