Parents and Carers

Welcome to the Parents and Carers of the website which contains information about children’s anaesthesia. We hope these pages will be helpful in preparing parents and carers, children and young people for an anaesthetic.

In the section for Children and young people there are two stories about having an anaesthetic which are suitable for different age groups.

For older children and young people, there is an information leaflet and a web link for extra information. This section for parents and carers provides links to the Royal College of Anaesthetists information leaflets and other organisations which are concerned with children’s health care. We will also provide up to date news about developments in anaesthesia which may be of interest.

The APA Council has a lay representative to represent the interests of children and their families. This is a voluntary, independent role and the person appointed will be committed to raising standards of care for children undergoing anaesthesia. As well as contributing to meetings, he/she will accompany paediatric anaesthetists on their peer review visits to hospitals and make recommendations to improve the experience of children, young people and their families.

your childs anaestheticYour child's general anaesthetic - Information for parents

This leaflet explains what to expect when your child comes into hospital to have an operation with a general anaesthetic.

Translations for for this leaflet for over 20 languages can be found at 
www.rcoa.ac.uk/patient-information/patient-information-resources/translations