The ENT service continues to review and treat patients with the most clinical need. These include patients that are suspected or confirmed cancers or on an existing cancer pathway. The service are conducting face-to-face appointments for those patients that have been deemed the most clinically urgent.
Patients will continue to be booked for their outpatient appointment and surgery according to urgency and length of wait.
There are a large number of conditions for which surgery of the ear, nose and throat will be required. These range from the straightforward 'tonsils and adenoids', now a relatively rare operation, to the complexities of cochlear implantation for deafness or the treatment of head and neck cancer.
The department deals with all conditions affecting the ear, nose, throat, neck and thyroid gland.
In the ear this includes problems with hearing, balance (including dizziness), tinnitus (noises in the ear) and ear infections.
Problems in the nose include rhinitis and sinus disease, injury to the nose, nasal allergies and (rarely) tumours.
In the throat, patients may present with a hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing and snoring. Neck and thyroid lumps are usually seen in a dedicated clinic.
Some operations, because of the complexity of the anatomy of the head and neck, may be major procedures and involve much interdisciplinary work with other departments.