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A mum from Cornwall has spoken out after a surgeon performed an operation on the genitals of her 12-year-old son without permission.

Surgeon Commander Anthony Lambert has now been taken off routine paediatric surgery after he performed the operation while the boy, from south east Cornwall, was under general anaesthetic for another procedure.

The boy's mother says the surgeon did not get consent and she has spoken to ensure it doesn't happen again.

The surgeon has apologised and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has said he will no longer perform any non-emergency paediatric procedures within the trust.

Cdr Lambert OBE was operating on the boy at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth for a hernia.

The boy's mum said: "We were all incredibly shocked by what happened. We did what we believed was the right thing and encouraged him to trust the doctor.

"I don't think of Mr Lambert as a bad person, I just think of him as someone who believes he always knows best – it's almost like he needs help. In our experience he's not trustworthy, and that's not the sort of person you want as a surgeon."

The family's lawyer, Andrew Hannam, of Enable Law, said: "Consent is a patient-centred process that should be followed before every procedure.

"In this case, not only had the child not been asked for consent, but he had refused to allow the surgeon to examine him. His parents had supported this decision. For Mr Lambert to continue in these circumstances was shocking for the child and his family."

In his apology to the family Mr Lambert wrote: "I accept that I should not have proceeded to undertake the additional procedure… without consent, and that the correct course of action would have been to inform you and [the boy] of the diagnosis, so that further care and treatment could have been arranged with consent.

"Why I did not call your name when I left theatre to find you, I do not know; I should have made more of an effort to locate you and seek your consent."

The surgeon also had to apologise for his language.

He wrote: "I also accept that my language and style, which has always been colloquial, perhaps as a result of my military background, was entirely inappropriate on this occasion.

"I unreservedly apologise for the short-fallings in the care I provided to your son."

Dr Phil Hughes, medical director for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, sent a letter to the family which said the operation "should not have happened without consent", reports the BBC.

He said an "organisational development intervention" will be put in place to ensure it does not happen again.