Pinnaplasty (Prominent Ears)

(Ear Surgery)

Threshold

Norfolk and Waveney ICB will fund the surgical treatment of Pinnaplasty for patients who meet the following criteria:

• The patient must be aged 5 or more, but under the age of 18 years and 364 days at the time of referral
• The child, rather than the parent alone, expresses concern about the prominent ears
• There is independent evidence from a health professional or a teacher that the child’s health and wellbeing is being severely adversely affected despite all reasonable steps being taken to address the issues.

Patients seeking Pinnaplasty should be seen by an appropriately trained surgeon and following assessment, if there is any concern, assessed by a psychologist.

Cases for Individual Funding Consideration (Patients who do not meet the policy criteria)

For individuals aged 19 years and over, the IFR must demonstrate a clear clinical need for the surgery, as pinnaplasty will not be commissioned in adults purely for cosmetic reasons.

On a case-to-case basis, patients might be eligible for surgical intervention, in consideration of their exceptionality. The requesting clinician must provide information to support the case for being considered an exception, by submitting an individual funding request.