• Reference Number: HEY1087/2024
• Departments: Day Surgery (DSU), Paediatrics
• Last Updated: 31 January 2024

Introduction

This advice sheet has been produced to give you information and advice following a circumcision procedure. It is not meant to replace discussion between you and your child’s doctor.  If after reading it, you require further explanation please discuss this with the relevant person who has been caring for your child.

Should you need any further help or advice, please telephone:

Paediatric Day Surgery Unit, CHH – Tel: 01482 624780 – Monday to Wednesday 08:00 to 18:00

Acorn Ward, Women and Children’s Hospital HRI  –  Tel: 01482 382703 / tel: 01482 382679

OR contact the Paediatric Community Team Tel: 01482 344077

Follow-up

The Community Children’s Team have been contacted and may visit your child at home in the weeks following surgery.  They may also contact you by phone 48 hours following your child’s discharge from the Day Surgery Unit.

School

Your child can return to school in approximately 1 to 2 two weeks. If you feel they need a little longer to recover we are happy for you to use your own judgement.

However, they should not do any physical education (PE), games or swimming for approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

After surgery

• The stitches are ‘dissolvable’ (do not need removing).
• Your child’s penis may look and feel sore but this will not last long.  It will look and feel normal again in a few weeks.
• There may be some ‘oozing’ of pink tinged serum, this is part of the healing process and is completely normal.
• The ‘scabs’ that will form are part of the healing process and must not be removed or cleaned off.
• Tomorrow your child may have a shower.  Your child may have a bath after 5 days, (do not add anything to the bath water).
• We will give you some antibiotic cream to apply to the stitched and surrounding area with advice on how often and for how long to use it.
• It is not unusual for boys to be nervous about going for a ‘pee’ after this surgery.
• Try to get your child to drink plenty, but if they become too distressed because they cannot ‘pee’, sit them in a warm bath and encourage them to ‘pee’ in the bath.
• It may help if your child wears loose clothing or nothing at all until they feel more comfortable.

Pain relief

We recommend that for the first 24 to 48 hrs you have paracetamol and Ibuprofen syrup or tablets available at home following discharge. (Ibuprofen may not be suitable for asthmatics).

After your child’s operation

The Day Surgery Unit is continually striving to improve patient information and we would be pleased to hear from you should you have any comments or concerns.

Should you require further advice on the issues contained in this advice sheet, please do not hesitate to contact the Acorn Ward.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats your child, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to your child. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your child’s condition, the alternatives available for your child, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about your child

We collect and use your child’s information to provide your child with care and treatment. As part of your child’s care, information about your child will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your child’s information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide your child with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your child’s doctor, or the person caring for your child.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about your child. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you need information about your child’s (or a child you care for) health and wellbeing and their care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.