Recent headlines highlighted the terrible actions of a funeral firm in Hull. A police investigation found 35 bodies and ashes at the company’s premises. Families believed cremations had taken place when they had not. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. The company is no longer operating.
Taking steps to prevent the awful actions in Hull from happening again, funeral directors are now subject to inspection under strict guidelines. The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) are working closely with the Government and have established a format for the inspections. Local Authorities now visit funeral directors in their areas to assess working standards.
A comment published jointly by both the NAFD and the SAIF stated: ‘We have provided a checklist using the combined experience of our inspectors and against an agreed set of shared principles consistent with the standards set out in our respective Codes of Practice.
‘We will be supporting the visits, through training from our inspectors and through a network of volunteer funeral directors across the UK who are on standby to answer questions and explain what good practice looks like.
‘SAIF and the NAFD are confident that all of our members will cooperate fully with local authorities and take the opportunity to demonstrate their quality and standards if a visit is requested – and we extend that to all other funeral directors in England too, as it is vitally important we reassure the public that they can trust in the compassion and professionalism of their chosen funeral director.’
At Austin’s Family Funeral Directors, we welcome the extra measures introduced in our sector. We believe that care and professionalism are of the utmost importance and are proud of the standard of service we offer each of our families. Our team views the inspections as an opportunity to demonstrate the quality and standard of our premises and the high level of care our deceased receive whilst in our care. Some of our offices have already received visits with our high standards noted.
If you have any questions about our care, training and support please ask. We are proud of how we work and happy to discuss this with you.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible actions in Hull.
