When toget medical advice

It's not always necessary to see your GP if you or your child have earache. The pain will often improve in a few days and there are things you can do to help in the meantime (see below).

You should contact your GP or local out-of-hours service , or call NHS 111 if:

• you or your child also has other symptoms, such asa high temperature (fever), vomiting, a severe sore throat , swelling around the ear, or discharge from the ear
• there's something stuck in your or your child's ear
• the earache doesn't improve withina few days