The PPP has successfully completed a series of reassurance visits to local funeral directors and found consistently good practice.
The voluntary visits to all nineteen funeral directors in West Berkshire and Bracknell were carried out in response to the government advice provided to all local authorities in April, following concerns identified in East Yourkshire.
Our Environmental Health Officers visited the funeral directors to assess the quality of services provided by funeral directors in the area. The visits were conducted over the summer and focussed on three key areas:
- Hygiene and facility conditions
- Dignity and condition of the deceased
- Record keeping.
The PPP was pleased to find a high level of compliance and overall practice was found to be in line with the national guidance. The visits were welcomed by the funeral directors who were supportive of greater regulation of the industry. Where any minor areas for improvement were noted PPP Officers worked with the funeral directors to make sure the matters were 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 premises on a regular basis and provide ongoing guidance and advice to them.
