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Following a police investigation earlier this year into concerns about a funeral home in Hull, the government at that time requested that all local authorities visit funeral homes in their area to carry out quality assurance visits.
Environmental Health Officers from the council have now visited all twenty-one funeral directors in North Somerset.
Overall, practice was found to be in line with the national guidance. No serious issues were identified at any of the businesses. Where any minor areas for improvement were noted, the council worked with the local funeral directors to make sure those matters have been addressed.
Most local funeral directors are members of either the National Association of Funeral Directors or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors.
These organisations inspect their members’ premises on a regular basis and provide ongoing guidance on the professional standards required. However, membership of these regulatory bodies is voluntary for funeral directors.
Matt Lenny, North Somerset Council's Director of Public Health and Regulatory Services, said:
“Dealing with the death of a loved one is something that’s rarely talked about but must be done with dignity, respect and within the law.
"Given this, it’s surprising that there’s limited specific regulation of funeral directors. We’d welcome the opportunity to participate in any national consultation around future regulation of the industry in the wake of the concerning events and recent police investigation in Hull.
“People, quite rightly, expect to have full confidence and trust in their funeral director and so high standards must be in place. I hope these visits provide reassurance to local residents about the good practice at funeral directors across North Somerset I’d like to thank the team involved as well as all the local businesses for their open participation and extremely positive response to these visits.”