NHS supplier that kept body parts faces criminal investigation

[Northerner]

A criminal investigation has been launched into how a major NHS supplier employed by dozens of hospital trusts retained body parts including amputated limbs and waste from cancer treatment.

The Environment Agency said Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) had breached its permits at five sites in England that deal with clinical waste.

“We are taking enforcement action against the operator, which includes clearance of the excess waste, and have launched a criminal investigation,” the EA said.

“We are supporting the government and the NHS to ensure there is no disruption to public services and for alternative plans to be put in place for hospitals affected to dispose of their waste safely.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society...gation-after-nhs-supplier-retained-body-parts

 

[mikeyB]

That is a grim tale if ever there was one. Why? 😡

I suppose we’ll find out in the court case.

You know why this has happened, of course. Outsourcing to the cheapest bidder.

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Before my partial pancreatectomy, I was seen by a team of specialists who were doing research etc... glad to help but when you are rough and in pain most of what they say isn’t registered just scrawling a few signatures on various sheets of paper. So I hope my bits have been recycled properly.

 

[mikeyB]

The only thing I’ve lost in hospital are my lenses in cataract surgery, neither use nor ornament for anybody. I don’t know what to do when my hip is replaced now the dog’s dead.

 

[Northerner]

Apparently this is also the company that deals with the disposal of a lot of our sharps.

 

[trophywench]

Like Mike the only things I've ever had physically removed from me in hospital are two cataracts and I think they get sort of melted rather than cut out in one piece? Plus years ago a cyst on a lower eyelid which was poking in my eye and causing probs with my vision that side. Additionally I've had a number of seborrheic keratoses sliced off at the docs and sent to the lab for analysis.

I'm more concerned generally about the conditions of transport and storage of any and all 'clinical waste' as there will be at least every germ microbe bacteria etc known to humankind - let alone whatever we don't know about and those that grow after the whatever it is have left the surgery, theatre or lab.

Providing that's all OK - is there actually a problem?