THE body part stockpiling scandal has deepened after NHS bosses warned that nearly 30 tonnes of “high risk” clinical waste may have gone missing.

Emails reveal that Shotts-based Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd, which is at the centre of a UK-wide waste row, is embroiled in new claims about “unaccounted for” materials that should have been incinerated.

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) stated they could not be sure if the inconsistencies they uncovered resulted from the “deliberate use of false information”, or incompetence by HES.

In a statement on Friday, NSS again pointed the finger at HES Ltd by saying they had heard anecdotally that the firm had “shredded” relevant documents.

Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: "This is an extremely disturbing development. The level of complacency here is staggering. SNP Ministers must investigate immediately, this is hazardous waste that could be a significant danger to the public and must be accounted for.”

HES was paid to dispose of NHS clinical waste on both sides of the Border, but it emerged last year that the firm had breached its environmental permits.

A waste stockpile had built up at HES sites, which led to the health service in England cutting its ties with the firm. HES informed NHS boards in Scotland that it could no longer fulfill its contractual obligations and the company nosedived.

Staff were not paid in December and HES managing director Gary Pettigrew announced that the company had ceased trading. The Environment Agency (EA) also launched a criminal investigation.

An internal email from NSS – an NHS body that was involved in dealing with the controversy – reveals major concerns about the data returns on clinical waste HES was expected to incinerate.

Sent on September 29, the NSS email shows that the public body was looking for a “formal legal opinion with respect to a data review" it had undertaken. Part of the initial exercise focused on waste moved from HES to other contractors.

According to the email, the figures showed a number of anomalies that were a cause of “concern” for the NHS. HES was referred to as “Co1” in the files.

After Scotland’s environment quango, Sepa, verified the data and made adjustments, NSS stated in the email that 28.24 tonnes of waste for incineration, including anatomical and infectious materials, were “not received” and described them as “unaccounted for”.

The quango concluded: “NHS Scotland believes that the data reviews cannot identify the way in which all of our healthcare waste has been managed and that there is reasonable doubt with respect to the disposal of certain waste streams, notably anatomical and pharmaceutical wastes.

“It is unclear if the inconsistencies in the data sets and the information provided by Co1 (at a recent meeting) is as a result of deliberate use of false information or if they are a result of errors and/or incompetent practices by the company."

The NSS email added: “However, the scale of the issues is significant, the data review shows that 8% of consignments to one third party contractor from Co1 contain errors, approx 50% of anatomical and infectious waste for incineration is unaccounted for in the data return and the data return information does not match the verbal explanation provided for the management of this waste stream by the company.”

After this newspaper contacted NSS, a spokesperson for the quango confirmed that around 28 tonnes of high risk “yellow stream waste” (YSW), produced between January and August last year, appeared to be unaccounted for.

YSW is defined as including body parts such as organs and limbs, infectious chemical wastes, and materials relating to chemotherapy, all of which need to be incinerated. It is understood that, of the 28 tonnes of waste, around 10% would be expected to be anatomical.

According to the quango, this YSW should not have been handled at the HES facility in Shotts, but there was “no evidence or data” to support the transportation and disposal of it to an alternative facility.

The spokesperson said NSS sought clarification from HES, but added that the firm asked for a payment to collate and provide the information:

“No payments were made and eventually NSS were informed, anecdotally, that HES had shredded the relevant records and therefore could not provide the detail or assurance sought.”

Asked by The Herald on Sunday how the matter was resolved, NSS said the firm had refused to provide assurances. The quango added: “Of particular concern was that there were inconsistencies in the handling, tracking and disposal of YSW by HES and, as matters stood, the ultimate disposal route of such waste was unclear.”

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “The secrecy around Scotland’s clinical waste scandal must end. The disappearance of 28 tonnes of clinical waste is a highly serious issue that shouldn’t have been hushed up. The Scottish Government has struggled to manage this crisis and has not been upfront with the public.

“The Health Secretary Jeane Freeman must update Parliament at once and explain what action is being taken to trace this clinical waste.”

In an email to this newspaper, Pettigrew referred to a "witch hunt" and "fake news Government", adding that the Scottish Government is "in it up to their armpits".

He added: "None of that information is correct and as usual we were not involved in the process so we cannot comment on the fake information."

  • WHAT IS “YELLOW STREAM WASTE”?

According to an NHS document from 2015, healthcare waste placed in the yellow stream requires “specialist disposal including high temperature incineration”. This waste stream includes:

- anatomical and human tissue including recognisable body parts (organs and limbs, etc.)

- medical devices and contaminated metal parts, including prostheses, pins, artificial joints, surgical metal instruments and surgical metal tools

- vCJD agents, TSE agents, and associated surgical instruments, etc. from quarantine

- placenta items, foetal remains and the disposal of pregnancy losses

- teeth (with fillings, but excluding amalgam fillings);

- highly infectious waste;

- infectious chemical wastes;

- pharmaceutical waste (medicinal products) other than those used in chemotherapy;

- chemotherapy waste;

- environmental control waste