A delivery filled with radioactive substances was discovered on a London street by a member of the public after being lost during transport between two hospitals.
The package was being transport from the site of Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood to London Bridge Hospital when it went missing.
Filled with radiopharmaceuticals, a type of radioactive medicine often used in the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers, is thought to have not been secured properly inside the transportation vehicle, and eventually fell out during the hour-long journey.
Despite the event happening last September, its only recently come to light following a report from the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR), who have handed an improvement notice to Siemens Healthcare Ltd, who are responsible for the transport.
Despite this, the ONR has stated that there was no risk to any members of the public or the local environment from the radioactive package, which was collected after the person who spotted it contacted Siemens Healthcare quickly.
Marc Gossage, Senior Marketing Communications Manager for Siemens Healthcare Ltd, said: “Siemens Healthineers is aware of the loss of a package whilst in transit last year, which was recovered a short time later. All regulatory bodies were informed at the time in line with our incident management protocols.
“As a leading provider of medical technology and radiopharmaceuticals, we are committed to maintaining a robust supply chain. Whilst no risk to the public or environment was identified, we take this matter very seriously and have investigated the matter thoroughly with the appropriate regulatory bodies and logistics supplier.
“Following internal review, areas for improvement were identified and an action plan is underway to ensure these are made in the shortest time possible.”
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