Policy Number: SRP 011
Policy Name: Adenoidectomy
Status: Individual Prior Approval
Effective Date: 1 April 2024
Next Review Date: 1 April 2026
Adenoids are small lumps of tissue at the back of the nose, above the roof of the mouth. Adenoids are part of the immune system, which only children have. They start to grow from birth and are at their largest when a child is around three to five years of age. Adenoids tend to shrink by adulthood and will often have disappeared.
MSE ICB commissions adjuvant adenoidectomy on a restricted basis.
Adjuvant adenoidectomy should not be routinely performed in children undergoing initial grommet insertion for the treatment of otitis media with effusion.
Adjuvant adenoidectomy for the treatment of glue ear should only be offered when the following clinical criteria are met:
- The child is undergoing surgery for re-insertion of grommets due to recurrence of previously surgically treated otitis media with effusion
Adenoidectomy is routinely funded in the following circumstances:
- As part of treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea or sleep disordered breathing in children (e.g. as part of adenotonsillectomy)
- As part of the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis in children
- For persistent nasal obstruction in children and adults with adenoidal hypertrophy
- In preparation for speech surgery in conjunction with the cleft surgery team.
Patients not meeting the above criteria will not be funded unless there are clinically exceptional circumstances.
Individual funding requests should only be made where the patient demonstrates clinical exceptionality.
Find out more information on applying for funding in exceptional clinical circumstances.
References: Removal of adenoids for treatment of glue ear