NHS waste row firm ceases operations

A DISPOSAL company facing a probe over health service waste in Scotland has ceased operations.

Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) became embroiled in an NHS clinical waste stockpiling controversy earlier this year, during which it denied human body parts were among items caught in a backlog at its sites.

Staff at its depot in Shotts, North Lanarkshire, were handed redundancy notices on Thursday and the company said yesterday that its remaining employees had also been told they were losing their jobs.

HES is thought to employ 150 people in Shotts and 350 elsewhere in the UK, and previously had contracts with the NHS in England and Scotland.

In November, HES said it planned to sue the NHS organisations which had terminated contracts. HES insisted a shortage of incinerators led to the backlog problem and it has always maintained the waste was being stored safely and securely.

The company said it believes Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (Tupe) applies and staff should have the opportunity to transfer to other waste operators who have taken over its contracts.

HES managing director Garry Pettigrew said: “We have tried so hard over the last few months to keep going but we’ve now reached the position where this is no longer tenable. Regrettably, we have informed staff that we are ceasing operations. We believe Tupe applies here and hope staff will have the opportunity to transfer to new contractors appointed by NHS National Services Scotland.

“The contracts in England also fall within Tupe, and Mitie and the other appointed contractors should allow this process to be implemented immediately.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has said it is continuing to “robustly” regulate and monitor the HES base in Shotts and its other Scottish site in Dundee.

It issued two enforcement notices to HES on September 12, and two further enforcement notices were issued on December 11.

Sepa said on Friday it had started an investigation to establish if criminal offences have been committed.