Ear, nose and throat (ENT) services

• We see things like ear infections and ear wax problems if they can’t be fixed by good self-care or with help from a GP.
• We treat people with hearing loss or if they have ringing in the ears. This might make you feel dizzy or affect your balance. Click here to find out more about our Audiology service.
• We treat people with glue ear. This is when the middle part of the ear canal fills up with fluid. It is much more common in children, but adults can get this too.

• We help people who have problems with their sinuses that won’t go away. Your GP may send you to us for help if they can’t solve the problem.
• We help people who have problems with nosebleeds. You might be having lots of nosebleeds or ones that last a long time. They might be heavy and you might struggle to stop it.
• We help people if they need their adenoids taking out if they are too big. These are small lumps of tissue at the back of the throat behind the nose.
• If you break your nose we may need to do a minor procedure to reset it.

• If you have severe Tonsilitis that keeps coming back, your GP may refer you to us. This is when your tonsils at the side of your throat get infected. It is common in children, but it can affect adults too. Sometimes you can get an area filled with pus (abscess) between your tonsils and the wall of your throat. We call this ‘quinsy’.
• If you have a problem with your voice, your GP may refer you to us. There are a range of conditions that affect the larynx (voice box). They can cause changes to the voice called dysphonia or loss of voice called aphasia. These changes can affect the way the voice sounds. They can also make the throat feel tight, sore, achy or dry.
• If you are struggling to breathe, or your throat is blocked we may need to do a Tracheostomy. This is a surgical procedure to make a hole at the front of the neck. Our ENT surgeons will insert a tube into the windpipe to help you breathe.
• We can help if you have problems swallowing (dysphagia). This might be with certain foods or drinks, while some people cannot swallow at all. The treatment we give will depend on what is causing it and how severe it is.
  • You may need some speech and language therapy or help from a dietician.
  • We can give injections to relax the muscles in your food pipe.  This helps food and drink to get to your tummy.
  • Some people may need to have surgery. This could be to help fit a feeding tube, or to widen your food pipe (oesophagus).

• Sometimes we may find a lump that turns out to be cancer. Our Cancer Information Hub explains the types of head and neck cancer we treat and what to expect. The links below explain the types of surgery we might do.
  • Treatment for thyroid cancer - NHS ​​​​​​
  • Treatment for laryngeal cancer - NHS
  • Treatment for mouth cancer - NHS

To access ENT services, you will need to go through your GP first. They will refer you to us if they think you need our expert help.

Sometimes we see patients from ED if they have an urgent problem. This is often children who get objects stuck in the ear or nose. We also see adults with urgent ENT problems in Same Day Emergency Care.

When we first see you, we will do a physical examination. We will also talk to you about the reasons you are here and what you hope to get out of any treatment. We may also need to do further tests. This may include:

• Nasel endoscopy – This test shows us the back of the mouth, nose and throat. The endoscope camera goes in your nose and down the back of your throat. It might feel a bit uncomfortable when we do this. We will numb your throat beforehand, so you don’t feel any pain.
• Laryngoscopy – This test looks inside the part of the throat called the larynx. This is where the voice box and vocal cords are. For this test, the endoscope goes in through the mouth. We will sedate you for this test as it is uncomfortable. 

Once we know what is wrong, we can agree on a treatment plan. We will see you in our outpatient clinics as your care progresses.

If you do need surgery, this will take place at Sunderland Royal Hospital. You will stay on Ward C33.

Any children who need ENT surgery will stay on Ward F63. This is one of our children’s wards at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Our outpatient clinics also take place in Sunderland as this is where the expert team is based. We may see you in person or talk to you over the phone or via video for your follow up care.

 We run ENT clinics from the following sites:

• Sunderland Royal Hospital:
  • Adults - Area 8 of Chester Wing (Use entrance 5)
  • Children - The Niall Quinn Centre
• Durham Treatment Centre
• Palmer Community Hospital
• Washington Galleries Health Centre
• Queens Road, Shotley Bridge
• Stanley Health Centre
• Farnham Medical Centre
• Peterlee Health Centre

Click here for directions to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Ward C33 is on C floor. Ward F63 is on F floor.

If you have an outpatient appointment, this will be in Chester Wing. This is also on C floor (Entrance 5).

For details of our other Trust locations click here.

There are lots of experts who will be involved in your care. They support our ENT consultants who are in charge of your care.

This includes:

• Physios and speech and language therapists. They will help you overcome problems with speech or when you swallow.
• Psychologists who can help if you need support with your emotional needs.
• Our theatre team who will look after you if you need surgery. There are lots of other doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants who will care for you in hospital.
• Our ENT nurse practitioners who will see you at your appointments.