Man goes into hospital for bladder operation and leaves with circumcision after medical mix-up

Terry Brazier says he did not notice doctors removing foreskin because he was distracted by nurses

Terry Brazier was circumcised after a mix-up at Leicester Royal Infirmary (PA)

A man who went into hospital for a routine bladder operation has been paid £20,000 in compensation after doctors accidentally circumcised him instead.

Terry Brazier had his foreskin removed after the Leicester Royal Infirmary mixed up his paperwork and mistook him for another patient.

The 70-year-old reportedly did not notice the wrong procedure was being carried out because he was distracted as he chatted to the nurses.

Mr Brazier had gone into hospital for a cystoscopy – a procedure to look inside the bladder by inserting a thin camera in a tube into the urethra.

He was also due to receive Botox injections into his bladder.

But after doctors treating him were given the wrong notes they circumcised him.

The shocked pensioner only found out afterwards when the embarrassed doctors had to admit their mistake.

“The nurse was at the side of me and we were talking so I didn’t know what was going on,” he told the Daily Star.

“It was a real surprise.”

He has now successfully claimed £20,000 in compensation from the NHS Trust which runs Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Andrew Furlong, medical director at the University Hospitals of Leicester trust, said: “We remain deeply and genuinely sorry that this mistake occurred, and I would like to take this opportunity to once again apologise to Mr Brazier.

“We take events like this very seriously and carried out a thorough investigation at the time to ensure that we learnt from this incident and do all we can to avoid it happening again.

“Whilst money can never undo what happened, we hope this payment provides some compensation.”

As well as a common religious practice in Judaism, Islam and some African communities, circumcision is also an occasional medical treatment for men, particularly those suffering a tightened foreskin which cannot retract, known as phimosis.

There is also some evidence circumcised men are slightly less likely to get urinary tract infections or be at lower risk for some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

It has sometimes been claimed circumcision makes it harder for men to enjoy sex, but a controlled 2008 trial in Kenya of 2,800 men concluded those whose foreskins had been removed did not experience sexual dysfunction, and instead many reported it was easier to reach orgasm.