SCANDAL OF HUMAN BODY PARTS MOUNTAIN
Hundreds of tons of clinical waste allowed to pile up at five hospitals
A WASTE firm are at the centre of a criminal probe for allegedly failing to dispose of human body parts.
The UK Government have launched the action against incinerator company Healthcare Environment Services over a backlog of amputated limbs at hospitals south of the Border.
The Scots firm are alleged to have stored NHS clinical waste in fridges for too long.
Over the last year, reduced incineration capacity has affected all companies
A CRIMINAL probe has been launched into how a firm allowed hundreds of tons of NHS waste to pile up – including human body parts.
The Environment Agency say Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) have allowed a backlog to build up at five English sites that deal with clinical waste, including amputated limbs.
The incinerator company, owned by Scots businessman Garry Pettigrew, allegedly allowed waste to be stored in fridges for excessive periods, in breach of licences.
The huge backlog led to the UK Government convening an emergency COBRA meeting last month, chaired by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The Environment Agency have issued HES, based in Shotts, Lanarkshire, with 13 warning notices and two compliance notices in the last year because they had not disposed of waste quickly enough. A spokeswoman for the agency said: “We have found Health Environmental Services to be in breach of their environmental permits at five sites which deal with clinical waste.
“We are taking enforcement action against the operators, which includes clearance of the excess waste, and have launched a criminal investigation.”
The firm provide waste disposal to Scots hospitals but it is not known if any health boards are affected.
Last month’s COBRA meeting agreed that hospitals may have to use temporary trailers for body parts if the situation does not improve. The UK Government are making £1million available for NHS trusts in England to store excess waste.
A spokesman said: “We are monitoring the situation closely and have made sure that public services – including NHS Trusts – have contingency plans.
“There is absolutely no risk to the health of patients or the wider public.
“Our priority is to prevent disruption to the NHS and other vital public services and work is under way to ensure organisations can continue to dispose of their waste safely and efficiently.”
A spokesman for HES said the UK had experienced “reduced incineration capacity” over the last year, which they had repeatedly highlighted to authorities.
They added: “Healthcare Environmental have highlighted the reduction in the UK’s high-temperature incineration capacity for the last few years.
“This is down to the ageing infrastructure, prolonged breakdowns and the reliance on zero waste to landfill policies taking up the limited high-temperature incineration capacity in the market.
“Over the last year, this reduced incineration capacity has been evident across all of the industry and has affected all companies.”
They said there has been no disruption to services to customers as a result of the shortfall in capacity. At one site, excess waste levels reached 350 tons in September – five times the company’s 70-ton limit.
A small proportion is believed to have been human body parts.
HES are reportedly attempting to export 750 tons of pharmaceutical waste to Holland.
They recently recorded a record gross profit of £15.4million, mainly through removal of waste from hospitals in England and Scotland.
In 2012, the firm threatened to move out of Lanarkshire if they failed to get planning permission for a new plant, with 120 jobs on the line.
The application was rejected but the threat was not carried out.