Child With Earache? Get Them Assessed and Treated at the Pharmacy

Few things unravel a household faster than a small child with earache — the crying, the ear-pulling, the 3am wake-ups. And few things are more frustrating than being told the next GP appointment is in four days.

Under Pharmacy First, children aged 1 to 17 with suspected middle-ear infections can be examined and treated on the NHS at Lyng Pharmacy in West Bromwich — including antibiotics where the examination supports them. Walk in; no appointment needed.

What happens at the consultation

In the private consultation room, our pharmacist examines your child's ear with an otoscope — the same instrument a GP uses — checking the eardrum for the bulging, redness or fluid that confirms acute otitis media. Combined with symptoms and how long they've lasted, this determines the right treatment on the NHS pathway.

Many ear infections clear on their own within three days, so the outcome is often expert reassurance plus proper pain relief — but where the picture calls for antibiotics (severe symptoms, both ears in a young child, discharge, or no improvement after several days), they're supplied there and then.

Easing earache at home

Children's paracetamol or ibuprofen at the correct dose for their age is the single most effective thing — earache pain responds well to it. A warm flannel held against the ear soothes; keep them drinking. Don't put drops, oil or cotton buds into the ear unless a clinician has advised it.

When it's more than earache

Get urgent help if your child has swelling, redness or tenderness behind the ear, a stiff neck, severe headache, is unusually drowsy, or seems really unwell — these can signal mastoiditis or spreading infection needing hospital care. Babies under 1 with suspected ear infection should be seen by a GP; we'll help you arrange that quickly.

Frequently asked questions