Waste disposal firm stripped of NHS contract after body parts scandal
A company which stockpiled hundreds of tonnes of hospital waste, including human body parts, has been stripped of its NHS contract.
Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) is under investigation after allowing mountains of waste, including human body parts and hazardous materials, to pile up at its facilities.
Leaked documents revealed excess waste levels at the firm's Normanton site reached 350 tonnes in September, five times its limit of 70 tonnes.
Read more: Life-changing investments: The science that could save the NHS
Health minister Stephen Barclays told MPs today that the company had been stripped of its contract with the NHS.
In a statement to Parliament he said NHS Improvement found that HES “failed to demonstrate that they were operating within their contractual limits.”
He added: “Consequently, 15 NHS Trusts served termination notices to HES formally to terminate their contracts at 4pm on Sunday.”
New arrangements have been made with outsourcing provider Mitie to “step in and replace” the service, he added.
The Environment Agency (EA) launched a criminal investigation into the matter last week and began enforcement action, which includes the clearance of excess waste.
Read more: Doctor's orders: how tech can help the NHS
HES said the waste produced by the NHS “far outweighed” the entire incineration capabilities of the UK.
It added that the company's sites stored clinical waste in strict accordance with EA regulations.