Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions apply to patients receiving services from Nottingham Ear Clinic, including private ENT consultation, microsuction ear wax removal, foreign body removal, ear infection treatment, ear & hearing health checks, hearing assessments, tinnitus management and hearing protection appointments.

By booking an appointment, attending the clinic, using our website or using our online booking system, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms.

Our services are intended for routine private ear and hearing care. They do not replace emergency care, urgent NHS care, your GP, NHS 111, Accident & Emergency or ongoing specialist management where this is required.

If you experience severe or worsening symptoms, sudden neurological symptoms, sudden significant hearing loss, severe dizziness, facial weakness, severe pain, collapse, serious bleeding or symptoms that may be an emergency, you should contact your GP, NHS 111 or 999 as appropriate.

Nottingham Ear Clinic currently provides services to patients aged 18 and over only.

By booking, you confirm that the appointment is for an adult patient. If an appointment is booked for someone under 18, the appointment may be cancelled and any deposit may be forfeited.

This policy supports safe service delivery and reflects our clinical competence, insurance and regulatory requirements.

Appointments may be booked online, by telephone or in person where available. A booking is confirmed once confirmation has been issued by the clinic or booking system.

A deposit may be required to secure your appointment. The deposit is deducted from the total appointment fee and is non-refundable except where Nottingham Ear Clinic cancels the appointment.

The remaining balance is payable at the clinic unless otherwise agreed. We accept major debit and credit cards, and may accept cash in clinic.

Card details may be processed securely through our payment or booking provider. Where permitted, stored card details may be used to recover outstanding balances, missed appointment charges or late cancellation charges.

Please give at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.

Appointments may usually be rescheduled once where at least 48 hours’ notice is given. Rescheduling with less than 48 hours’ notice, rescheduling for a second time, failure to attend or late cancellation may require a new appointment and a new deposit.

Failure to attend, late cancellation or failure to provide sufficient notice will usually result in the deposit being forfeited. This helps support fair access to appointments and protects reserved clinical time.

Clinical assessment, professional opinion, advice and treatment planning are chargeable services, even where treatment is not performed or cannot safely proceed.

Treatment is provided only where clinically appropriate. Your clinician may decline, stop, defer or modify treatment if it is unsafe, unsuitable, not clinically indicated or if further medical assessment is required.

If a clinical contraindication is identified, the appointment fee may still apply because clinical assessment and professional advice have been provided.

No clinical outcome can be guaranteed. Treatment recommendations are based on the information available at the time of assessment and may change if new symptoms, findings or information arise.

A private ENT consultation is a doctor-led assessment for ear symptoms, which may include clinical history, examination, digital otoscopy where appropriate, treatment advice, prescription advice where clinically suitable, and recommendations for follow-up or onward referral where needed.

Ear & hearing health checks are designed for the audiology pathway and may include doctor-led ear assessment before referral for full hearing assessment, tinnitus management or hearing protection services where appropriate.

Screening hearing checks are not the same as a full diagnostic audiology assessment. If a full hearing assessment is clinically appropriate, this may be arranged with our experienced audiology team.

Microsuction ear wax removal is performed where wax removal is clinically appropriate and can be carried out safely. Wax may be removed using microsuction and/or fine instruments depending on wax type, ear canal anatomy and clinical findings.

In most cases, wax removal can be completed in one appointment. In some cases, wax may be hard, impacted, uncomfortable to remove, or unsafe to clear fully in one visit.

If removal is incomplete and your clinician advises a follow-up appointment, your first follow-up may be complimentary when arranged within 2 weeks of the original appointment. If a third visit is clinically required, a reduced fee may apply.

If no wax is found, or if wax removal is not clinically indicated, your appointment may be converted into a private ENT consultation and the relevant consultation fee may apply.

Foreign body removal may be offered where the object can be assessed and removed safely in clinic. Examples may include hearing aid parts, cotton fragments, beads, insects or other suitable objects in the ear canal.

Removal may not be possible if the object is too deep, too close to the eardrum, causing significant pain, associated with bleeding or infection, or if removal would risk injury.

If safe removal cannot be achieved in clinic, no further attempts will be made and you may be advised to attend A&E or another appropriate service for urgent assessment.

During assessment, your clinician may identify signs of infection, inflammation, discharge, swelling, eczema, otitis externa or other ear conditions.

Some ear infections should not be instrumented. Wax removal or other procedures may be stopped or postponed if infection is present or if continuing may worsen pain, bleeding or inflammation.

Ear swabs may be taken where clinically indicated and where results may help guide treatment. If medication is appropriate, private prescription options may be discussed.

Patients remain responsible for seeking urgent medical advice through their GP, NHS 111, 999 or A&E if symptoms worsen or become urgent.

Our audiology services may include full hearing assessments, hearing aid advice, tinnitus management and hearing protection, depending on the service booked and clinical suitability.

Where our doctor refers you for a full hearing assessment or tinnitus management appointment, that follow-on appointment may be provided without an additional appointment fee, subject to clinic policy and availability.

Hearing protection appointments may include ear health assessment, advice on suitable protection and professional ear impressions where required. Where hearing protection is purchased directly through the clinic, appointment and impression costs may be included in the product price.

Custom-made products may be non-refundable once ordered or manufactured unless faulty. Product warranties, repair terms and aftercare terms may vary by manufacturer.

Ear care procedures are generally safe when performed by trained clinicians, but all procedures carry some risk.

Potential risks may include temporary discomfort, pain, dizziness or vertigo, coughing during suction, ear canal irritation, minor bleeding, temporary change in hearing sensitivity, temporary increase in awareness of tinnitus, infection, and very rarely eardrum injury or perforation.

Hearing checks may involve louder or high-pitched sounds and may temporarily increase awareness of existing tinnitus in some people. If you have a programmable ventriculo-peritoneal shunt or any relevant implant, you must tell your clinician before any hearing screening.

Treatment may be stopped or deferred if infection is present, ear anatomy makes treatment unsafe, an eardrum abnormality is identified, you experience significant pain, dizziness or feel faint, or continuing would increase the risk of harm.

You must provide accurate, complete and truthful information about your identity, contact details and medical history.

Please tell us about previous ear surgery, current or recent ear infection, pain, discharge, dizziness or vertigo, tinnitus, sudden hearing loss, anticoagulant medication, allergies, implanted devices, hearing aids, ear devices, or any other factor that may affect safe care.

You must follow any pre-appointment instructions, including ear softening advice where recommended, and follow any aftercare instructions given by your clinician.

You may decline any part of examination or treatment at any time.

After ear instrumentation or wax removal, you may be advised to keep your ears dry for 24–48 hours and avoid inserting cotton buds, tissues or other objects into the ear canal.

You should seek medical advice urgently if you develop increasing pain, swelling, redness, discharge, foul odour, severe dizziness, sudden or significant hearing loss, facial weakness, severe headache or feel systemically unwell.

Follow-up appointments are offered where clinically appropriate. Complimentary follow-up arrangements only apply where specifically advised by the clinic and within the stated timeframe.

We may contact you by telephone, SMS, email or secure booking systems for appointment confirmations, reminders, questionnaires, clinical correspondence and aftercare information.

You are responsible for ensuring your contact details are accurate and up to date, and for checking appointment messages and clinical communications.

Personal data is processed in accordance with UK data protection legislation and the clinic’s privacy notice. Clinical information is handled confidentially and shared only where appropriate for care, safety, legal or regulatory reasons.

Nottingham Ear Clinic is committed to safeguarding adults at risk and to acting in line with professional and regulatory responsibilities.

The clinic operates in accordance with the statutory Duty of Candour. If a notifiable safety incident occurs, we will act openly and transparently, explain what is known, apologise where appropriate and outline any further actions.

We are committed to providing treatment and service to a high standard and we welcome patient feedback. Patient satisfaction survey responses may be reviewed and used to improve the service we provide.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, treatment or the service received, you have the right to make a complaint. A complaint may be made by the patient, by a person affected by the actions or decisions of the clinic, or by someone acting on behalf of the patient with appropriate consent.

Complaints should normally be made within 4 weeks of the event, or within 4 weeks of becoming aware of the concern, provided this is within 12 months of the event. Clinic management may waive this time limit where there are good reasons for a delay.

In the first instance, you may raise concerns with a member of staff or the Practice Manager. Some concerns can be resolved informally without the need for a formal complaint.

Formal complaints can be made in writing to: Nottingham Ear & Scan Clinic, Clinical Governance Team / Practice Manager, 200 Derby Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, NG9 7AY, or by email to info@nottinghamearclinic.co.uk.

Your complaint should include your name and contact details, a clear description of the concern, relevant dates or appointments and the outcome you are seeking, if known.

We aim to acknowledge complaints within 3–5 working days. Complaints will be investigated appropriately, which may include reviewing records, speaking to involved staff or clinicians, obtaining statements and offering a meeting where helpful.

We aim to provide a full response, or offer of a meeting with the people involved, within 20–21 working days. If an investigation takes longer, we will explain this and provide an updated timeframe.

When reviewing a complaint, we aim to understand what happened, give you the opportunity to discuss the concern, apologise where appropriate and identify learning to help improve future care.

If you remain dissatisfied following our response, you may request further internal review. You may also share concerns with the Care Quality Commission. The CQC does not resolve individual complaints, but uses information to help monitor services. This process does not affect your statutory rights.

We reserve the right to decline or end services where clinically indicated, where treatment is unsafe or unsuitable, or where behaviour towards staff or other patients is abusive, threatening, discriminatory or inappropriate.

These terms may be updated from time to time. The version published on this website at the time of booking will normally apply to your appointment, unless a change is required for legal, regulatory or safety reasons.

These terms do not affect your statutory rights.