HES Ltd – The Truth?
There are, no doubt, lots of different opinions regarding the current HES Ltd “scandal”. Before making your own decisions about this, read the documents presented by HES Ltd at https://www.healthcareenv.com/the-truth. […]
sharps disposal
Fenland Council set to operate a free sharps boxes collection service
After the barrage of complaints and very real safety implications following Fenland Council decision to halt clinical waste collections due to a ‘lack of funding’ they now look set to operate […]
Confusion in Fenland – what do we do with our sharps bins?
As we previously reported, new rulings mean sharps boxes will not be able to be taken to GP surgeries. Fenland District Council will instead be responsible who say it will be […]
Clinical waste incineration capacity row deepens
The war of words between the Environment Agency (EA) and contractor Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) has worsened after the company released a cache of emails and minutes of a meeting […]
Diabetic blames ditching of collections for clinical waste dumping
Monthly clinical waste collections were axed by the council weeks before yellow bags were mysteriously dumped in Swindon. Swindon Borough Council, which moved swiftly to remove the nine sacks left […]
NHS pays compensation to 1,200 staff after needlestick
More than 1,200 NHS staff have won compensation after being injured by needles potentially infected with HIV or hepatitis over the past six years. Official figures reveal an “unacceptable” picture […]
HES Normanton stored waste for months, freezer turned off
In yet another shock horror news report it is claimed that HES were storing mountains of waste and ‘body parts’ in a freezer that for months had the power turned […]
Used needles found dumped in Cornish towns
A warning has gone out to parents after a used needles were found dumped in two Cornish towns. One was found on the path on Tower Road in Newquay on […]
Girl finds dirty needles in Worthing park
A four-year-old girl stumbled across a pile of syringes, vials and other drug paraphernalia while playing hide and seek in Tarring Park. Her Mum said she was playing with her […]
What is in your sharps bin?
In Namaimo, Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called to deal with explosive materials found inside sharps container at tent city. Nanaimo RCMP say it was the right call to […]
Canvey not clearing needles and clinical waste
Needles and clinical waste are not being collected raising fears about disease and the safety of bin collectors. Castle Point Council is due to take over the collection of clinical […]
US study sheds light on needlestick injuries at MRFs
The hazards of needles to MRF sorters are well recognized, but new research puts an estimate to just how many workers are injured by them each year. In a survey, […]
Fenland to impose charges to patients for domestic sharps collections
As we noted previously, it is now confirmed that Fenland District Council WILL bill patients directly for the collection of sharps containers from domestic premises. We reported on news reports […]
Clinical waste to dump, then back to wards!
Lagos, Nigeria, isn’t the place where one might expect the highest standards of hygiene and infection prevention, or of probity. So it is perhaps no surprise to read this piece […]
Mum must pay to dispose of her 12-year-old’s diabetic needles
A Mum is reported to be “utterly shocked” after being told she will have to pay to dispose of her 12-year-old diabetic daughter’s needles, and quite rightly so. A council […]
Man died 20 years after prick from infected needle
A man with a learning disability who contracted Hepatitis B from a dirty needle while gardening died due to the virus twenty years later. Dermot Redmond (53) from Walkinstown Road […]
Discarded needles won’t “jump out and bite you”
In a comment that perhaps rates as the most arrogant and ill-advised comment ever made regarding sharps safety, health ‘officials’ are urging Londoners to become more educated about discarded needles […]
Pilfering from clinical wastes
A US nurse admitted in court pilfering from clinical wastes to obtain drugs apparently ‘to aid in suicide attempts at her home’, but denied using those drugs and/or the syringes […]
New machine cleans and recycles used syringes
A US news report highlights Sterilis, a new device that sterilizes and recycles used syringes. Manufacturing Vice President for Sterilis, Tony Batalha showed Western Mass News what the machine is all […]
NHS buys mobile needle exchange for addicts amid HIV ‘outbreak’
The NHS has bought a mobile needle exchange for heroin addicts to use in a bid to halt an “uncontained HIV outbreak” in Scotland’s largest city. It is estimated that […]
Devon nurse took used syringe from sharps bin – thought it was OK!
A staff nurse at North Devon District Hospital thought it was OK to take a used syringe out of a sharps bin and claimed she didn’t know that it was […]
Cuts in Carmarthenshire services?
The BBC are today reporting a range of Local Authority cuts in Carmarthenshire. Hitting the headline are cuts to school crossing patrols that will go ahead despite fears children’s safety will […]
Sharps waste dumped in Totnes
Sharps boxes containing used hypodermic needles are being found dumped in bushes around an area of a supermarket car park used by thousands of shoppers. Over the last few months, […]
Sheath removal for hypodermic needles – right or wrong?
It is now universal policy in the UK, Europe, US and in many other countries to dispose used needles WITHOUT removing the sheath, or if the needle is already exposed, […]
Environmentalists to investigate medical waste on Durban beaches
A team of environmentalists has been dispatched to investigate medical waste that landed up on Durban’s shores this week. Mayor Zandile Gumede announced on Tuesday morning that the team will […]
A little bit of knowledge….
A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. And so it is when the public are fobbed off with headline statements regarding safety that address only one small part […]
Clinical waste management in the NHS
The NHS’s sprawling network creates a diverse and complex set of waste streams. How do hospitals manage their waste and what developments are helping fight the constant budgetary battle? The […]
BD launches safety engineered devices campaign, India
To encourage the usage of safety engineered devices, BD is organizing a ‘Santa Says…Stay Sharp Be Safe’ pan India campaign. Aligned with its commitment towards safety of healthcare workers, the […]
Down on the farm – needlestick is a real risk
Within agricultural production a good share of livestock producers perform routine veterinary work themselves. This includes administering vaccinations or treatments for common disease or sickness. A result of performing this […]
Clinical waste disposal in India – how bad can they get?
CHANDIGARH: A task of unclogging drains belched out hundreds of used syringes at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, on Saturday, indicating that something was wrong in the disposal […]