Grommets: clear hearing for children with glue ear, in Hampshire
Mr Rohan Vithlani, consultant ENT surgeon, assesses and treats glue ear at Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital. A fifteen-minute day-case procedure, explained properly to parents, with the same consultant from the first appointment to the follow-up.
Consultant ENT Surgeon · GMC [number]
Hearing implant surgeon, USAIS
Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality [confirm]
At a glance
Who is it for?
Children (and some adults) with glue ear that has not cleared after three months, or recurrent ear infections
Who will I see?
Mr Vithlani, at every visit
What is assessed?
Ears under the microscope, hearing test and tympanometry
Where?
Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital · Tuesdays · alternate Thursday mornings · alternate Fridays
How do I book?
Online form, [phone number] or [email address]
At a glance
Who is it for?
Children whose glue ear has lasted three months or more with hearing loss, speech delay or behaviour changes; recurrent ear infections.
Who will I see?
Mr Vithlani at every visit — no handover between clinicians.
What is assessed?
Ears under the microscope, a hearing test and tympanometry (a pressure test of the ear drum).
What is treated?
Glue ear, recurrent acute otitis media and retraction of the ear drum.
Where?
Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital, Chandler’s Ford. Clinics on Tuesdays · alternate Thursday mornings · alternate Fridays.
How do I book?
Online, by phone on [phone number] or by email. No GP referral needed for self-paying patients.
Is it urgent? Where to go
Glue ear is not an emergency and belongs in clinic. A few ear symptoms need same-day care.
Routine
Muffled hearing, speech delay, ear infections every few weeks, snoring
Book a clinic appointment
Same day
Ear pain with a high temperature, discharge with pain, a sudden hearing loss in one ear
Call the clinic or NHS 111 today
999 / A&E
A red, swollen or painful area behind the ear, a very drowsy or floppy child, facial weakness, head injury
Go to A&E or call 999
Safety net: Sudden hearing loss in one ear is urgent and is best assessed within 72 hours: call the clinic or NHS 111 the same day. Severe ear pain with a high temperature, a red or swollen area behind the ear, sudden facial weakness or a head injury: go to A&E or call 999.
What are grommets?
A grommet is a tiny tube, a few millimetres across, placed in the ear drum to let air into the middle ear and the fluid of glue ear drain away. Hearing usually improves straight away.
Mr Vithlani treats children of every age at the region’s specialist paediatric centre and performs the procedure as a short day case, often combined with removal of the adenoids where that will reduce the chance of the glue ear coming back.
Conditions grommets treat
Glue ear (otitis media with effusion)
What you notice: muffled hearing, turning the television up, not responding, speech delay. Diagnosed with a microscope examination, tympanometry and a hearing test; treated with watchful waiting for three months, then grommets if it persists.
Recurrent acute otitis media
Repeated painful infections, often with a burst ear drum. Grommets reduce the number and severity of infections while they are in place.
Retraction of the ear drum
A drum sucked inwards by negative pressure. A grommet equalises the pressure and can prevent a retraction pocket from deepening.
Glue ear in adults
Less common and always examined carefully for a cause behind the nose before a grommet is placed.
Book a consultation about glue ear
Microscope examination and a hearing test on the same visit.
What happens at your appointment?
01
Booking
The practice confirms the clinic, date and fee. Bring any hearing test results or school reports.
02
History
How long the hearing has been muffled, how often infections happen, snoring and sleep, speech and school.
03
Examination
Both ears examined under the microscope; nose and throat checked for large adenoids or tonsils.
04
Hearing test
A hearing test and tympanometry, usually on the same day.
05
Diagnosis and plan
Watchful waiting, hearing support or grommets — explained in plain English, with a letter for you and your GP.
Treatment options
Many children need no surgery at all. Options are discussed from the least to the most involved, and the benefits, risks and alternatives explained before any decision.
Watchful waiting
Most glue ear clears on its own within three months; hearing is re-checked rather than operated on.
Autoinflation
A simple nasal balloon exercise that helps some children clear the fluid.
Hearing support
Classroom strategies and, for some children, a temporary hearing aid while waiting.
Grommets
A fifteen-minute day-case procedure when glue ear persists with hearing loss.
Adenoidectomy
Combined with grommets where large adenoids keep the glue ear coming back.
Review
Grommets fall out after 6–12 months; the ear is checked afterwards.
Private care
Seen quickly by a consultant, your choice of date, the same surgeon throughout
- No GP referral needed for self-paying families
- Consultation and hearing test in one visit
- Day-case surgery at Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital
NHS and A&E
Still the right place for emergencies and out-of-hours care
- Severe pain, high fever, swelling behind the ear: A&E or 999
- NHS 111 for urgent advice
- Mr Vithlani can arrange an urgent hospital referral if needed
Private grommet surgery in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire
Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital
- Winchester Road, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 2DW
- Tuesdays · alternate Thursday mornings · alternate Fridays
Serving Southampton, Eastleigh, Winchester, Romsey and the New Forest.
Meet your surgeon
Meet Mr Rohan Vithlani
Consultant ENT Surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, the tertiary referral unit for ears and hearing, and a surgeon with the University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service. Clinical governance lead for ENT and educational supervisor for ENT trainees.
Principal investigator for the STARFISH trial (sudden hearing loss) and surgical lead for the LUCIA study (bilateral cochlear implantation in adults). [Postnominals from CV] · GMC [number].
Cost and insurance
New consultation
From £[confirm]
Face to face at Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital
Follow-up
From £[confirm]
Review of the ear and hearing
Grommets (day case)
£[confirm]
Hospital package, agreed first
Fees are confirmed in writing when you book; hearing tests and surgery are quoted by the hospital and agreed before anything goes ahead. Self-paying families book directly; insured patients should get an authorisation number first.
Recognised by
Patient reviews
[—]
Rated [—] out of 5 from [N] verified reviews on Doctify ([month YYYY])
Rating and review count are pulled live from Doctify and Google once the profiles are connected. Every patient is different, and so is every outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Will my child need a general anaesthetic for grommets?
Yes, a short one. Grommets take about fifteen minutes and children are usually home within a couple of hours.
How do I know if snoring is a problem?
Answer to follow: awaiting client copy.
Can both parents come to the appointment?
Answer to follow: awaiting client copy.
Do I need a GP referral to see Mr Vithlani privately?
Not for self-paying patients. Most insurers ask for a GP referral before they authorise a consultation, so check your policy first.
What happens at a first appointment?
Answer to follow: awaiting client copy.
What does a consultation cost?
A new consultation is from £[confirm] and a follow-up from £[confirm]. Hearing tests, imaging and surgery are quoted separately by the hospital and agreed before anything goes ahead.
Which insurers are recognised?
Answer to follow: awaiting client copy.
Mr Rohan Vithlani
Consultant ENT Surgeon · Otology, hearing implants & children’s ENT · GMC [number]
At a glance
Procedure
About 15 minutes under a short general anaesthetic
Home
Usually within two hours
Grommets stay in
6–12 months, then fall out on their own
Related
Adenoidectomy · childhood hearing loss
Self-pay fees
New consultation
From £[confirm]
Follow-up
From £[confirm]
Grommets (day case)
£[confirm]
Fees are confirmed in writing when you book. Hearing tests, imaging and surgery are quoted separately by the hospital and agreed before anything goes ahead. Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality and WPA recognised [insurers to confirm].
Book a consultation with Mr Rohan Vithlani
Phone [phone number] · [email address] · online request form. Reply within one working day.
Sudden hearing loss in one ear is urgent and is best assessed within 72 hours: call the clinic or NHS 111 the same day. Severe ear pain with a high temperature, a red or swollen area behind the ear, sudden facial weakness or a head injury: go to A&E or call 999.