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A new NHS ear and hearing health pathway delivered by community pharmacies has been rolled out across 10 integrated care board (ICB) regions.

The pathway, which uses Tympa Health’s ‘all-in-one’ assessment platform combining video otoscopy, ear wax removal and hearing screening, is aimed at reducing the health service’s backlog for ear, nose and throat consultations – which currently stands at around 600,000 appointments.

There is currently capacity for 16,320 appointments annually through the pathway.

The pilot was first commissioned in Frimley ICB from November 2025, with national rollout having begun in April this year.

The two ICBs that have yet to offer the service, Coventry & Warwickshire and Dorset, are expected to roll it out from Christmas and February 2027 respectively.

Yinka Kuye, head of pharmacy at Frimley ICB’s medicines optimisation team, said: “The ICB’s commissioning of a pharmacy-led ear and hearing health pathway is a significant step forward in transforming care delivery.

“Enabling community pharmacy teams to assess and manage appropriate ear and hearing concerns supports the national ambition to shift more care from hospital into communities, while helping to address the capacity and access gap across primary and secondary care. 

“Early results are promising, with regular GP referrals and just over 50 per cent of patients being fully managed within community pharmacy, demonstrating both the value of the pathway and the expanding role of community pharmacy teams in delivering high-quality clinical services.”

Ram Moorthy, consultant ENT surgeon at Frimley ICB, said: "I am pleased to see this innovative service is now up and running for patients across Frimley ICB. Community-based ear and hearing pathways like this play an important role in ensuring patients are seen quickly, near home by an appropriate healthcare professional supported by TympaHealth’s advice and guidance service run by UK ENT surgeons and audiologists. 

“By providing a high-quality service helping to identify and safely manage appropriate cases in the community, it supports more timely access to specialist care for those who need it most.”

Dr Krishan Ramdoo, founder and CEO of TympaHealth, added: “Launching this pathway across 10 ICBs is an important step towards demonstrating how ear and hearing healthcare can be delivered more effectively within communities.

“With capacity for more than 16,000 appointments a year across the programme, there is an opportunity to significantly improve access while supporting existing NHS services.

“Our 2025 research found that over a quarter of people (28 per cent) were unaware that ear and hearing health issues can be assessed by a pharmacist, while 18 per cent said they waited between four and six months to be treated by a healthcare professional.

“By making these services available locally, we can make it easier for people to seek help earlier rather than waiting until problems escalate and begin to affect their wider health and wellbeing.”

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