Our team will advise you about any ongoing care before your departure and will arrange any medication and post-operative items that you or your child requires. You will receive a discharge pack with instructions and information to support your care and to make sure you are prepared for you or your child’s continuing recovery.

Your nurse will give you some advice about caring for your healing wounds and a date for a follow-up appointment before you go home.

You or your child will usually return for a review appointment one week after surgery, to ensure recovery is proceeding as expected and to remove any dressings and non-dissolvable stitches. We will discuss the best way to look after scars, to ensure the best possible outcome and will offer guidance if needed about a gradual return to normal activity and work or school.

For our adult inpatients being admitted to The London Clinic, The Wellington and The Weymouth Hospital, all of these hospitals provide a dressing gown and slippers, plus a selection of toiletries for you to use. Please bring your own comfortable clothing and nightwear, plus your wash bag and anything else that will make you feel at ease. You may wish to bring a book, laptop or an iPad with you for entertainment. Please remember to bring your own mobility devices and any personal medication where applicable.

For children being admitted and treated at The Portland Hospital & Great Ormond Street Hospital, please bring your child’s favourite toy and anything else that you feel might make his/her stay more comfortable. If your baby is still bottle feeding, please bring formula, although the hospital will provide this due to your baby fasting before the procedure.

There is no need to fast before an LA. You may drink and eat right up until the time of your procedure. It takes around 1-5 hours for the LA to wear off.

Local anesthesia is any technique to induce the absence of sensation in a specific part of the body, generally for the aim of inducing local analgesia.

Our medical team will inform you when you or your child are able to leave hospital. You will need to rest until the effects of the anaesthetic have passed. You may also need pain relief to help with any discomfort as the anaesthetic begins to wear off. You will need to arrange for someone to take you home and try to have a friend or relative stay with you for the first 24 hours after your operation.

General anaesthesia temporarily affects your coordination and reasoning skills, so you must not drive, drink alcohol, operate machinery or sign legal documents for at least 24 hours afterwards. If you are in any doubt about driving, contact your motor insurer so that you are aware of their recommendations and always follow your surgeon’s advice.

We advise our patients to fast for 6 hours before their surgery and to have small sips of water up until 2 hours before the surgery. Fasting reduces the risk of regurgitation and aspiration and damage to lungs by acid if regurgitation does occur during surgery.