A FAMILY with bags of hazardous medical waste piling up at their home have slammed NHS bosses for cancelling a collection service.
Dozens of bags containing used blood products, needles, tubes and bandages are piled up in Karen Coupe’s garage.
And the mum fears her Clayton-le-Moors home could become an environmental hazard if she is unable to dispose of the waste.
Karen fears dozens of patients across Lancashire could be affected by NHS Property Services’ decision to cut the collection service.
She said: “We only realised it was not being collected after a week. When I asked about it they said the contract had been cancelled. The council originally told me to put it out with the black bags.
“I have to connect Sarah to a machine which drains quite a lot of blood out. “There are a number of life threatening issues doing that.
“It’s quite stressful for me already without this. Putting bloodlines out could be a real risk. I have about 30 bags piled up in my garage - it’s ridiculous.
“We’ll end up with environmental health at our door.”
Sarah, 25, was born with only one kidney and a rare genetic condition leaving her with the body of a child. She is the only patient in the UK to receive paediatric haemodialysis at home, on Moorside Drive.
Hyndburn MP Graham Jones has raised the issue with the Department of Health.
He said: “This is another example of the fragmentation of the NHS and an unnecessary burden patients and families to face.”
An NHS Property Services spokesman said local authorities were warned the contract with PHS Waste Management was due to end.
NHSPS said: “When the local Primary Care Trust was abolished in 2013, NHS Property Services inherited a small contract collecting clinical waste for approximately 20 patients in East Lancashire. NHS England advised us that clinical waste was the responsibility of the local authority and all partners were made aware of this.
“We are concerned to hear that there has been a problem and will link with the successor authority to take forward.”
NHS England, which commissions dialysis services, is not responsible for the collection of dialysis waste.
A spokesman said: “We are currently liaising with the responsible renal centre, NHS Property Services, local council and the CGG and will be investigating the issue further during the next few days to ensure prompt resolution of this situation.”
Hyndburn Council’s environmental services lead, Coun Paul Cox, said staff cannot collect blood products. He said: “Where the waste is heavily blood stained products, infectious bandaging, body tissue it is unlawful for this to be placed within the general waste stream and therefore the council could never sanction this.”
