We welcome Robert Bush’s decision to plead guilty, sparing his victims and the Hull community the further distress of a full criminal trial. The affected families have suffered unimaginably and deserve to see justice served as swiftly as possible. We also thoroughly condemn his actions. They have brought shame to a profession that is overwhelmingly defined by care, dignity and integrity.
Our role as the largest association of independent funeral directors in the UK is to ensure this can never happen again and restore public confidence. We will do this by working collaboratively with the Government and stakeholders across the funeral sector. Together we will introduce a robust yet proportionate form of regulation that requires all practitioners providing care to the bereaved and the deceased to meet a rigorous set of standards.
This needs to cover every aspect of funeral businesses, from mortuaries and back-office functions to family choice and complaints redress. We have already made significant progress in this regard, launching in partnership with the NAFD the UK Funeral Director Code. This framework aligns with the statutory code of practice already in place in Scotland and will ensure consistency in standards across all four corners of the UK.
Bush exploited gaps in the current voluntary model of regulation with devastating impact on bereaved families. By requiring all UK funeral directors to follow a universal code of practice, we can ensure no one has to experience what his victims have endured ever again.
Notes to Editors:
About SAIF: The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) is the UK’s largest trade association for independent funeral businesses, representing around 1,000 members operating over 2,000 funeral homes.
Membership status: Legacy Independent Funeral Directors was not and has never been a member of SAIF.
Existing standards: All SAIF members must adhere to a strict code of practice and are subject to a programme of unannounced inspections of their premises, mortuaries and administrative processes.
ENDS