SAIF members lead on Hull inspections process, reassuring the public

SAIF members in Hull have played a pivotal role in facilitating formal inspections of premises in the wake of the police investigation into care of the deceased at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. 

And the initiative has been deemed a success by Hull City and East Riding councils, with officials stating that the visits of 50 funeral homes had demonstrated that the Legacy incident was “in no way typical of the funeral industry in our area”.

SAIF’s Immediate Past President Mark Horton hosted the very first inspection by Hull City Council, providing early insights and guidance to council inspectors on what constitutes best practice in the funeral profession.

The councils called on Mark, thanks to his leading advocacy role on behalf of the local funeral profession – and expertise as a SAIF funeral home inspector over many years.

SAIF CEO Terry Tennens said: “We’re pleased to see SAIF funeral directors leading the way across Hull and East Riding by working collaboratively and professionally with the authorities to reassure the public following the police investigation in Hull.

“The council officer visits have been a useful exercise in showing the public how the majority of funeral directors operate, particularly if they are SAIF accredited.”

External scrutiny of premises is part and parcel of being a SAIF member, however, events in Hull have prompted calls for inspections to be made statutory in England. 

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Justice in recent years, SAIF has developed a co-regulation model which, if adopted, would ensure all funeral homes are regularly inspected – not just those who are trade association members. 

The model, in which the Government would authorise trade associations to visit all funeral homes, builds on SAIF achieving ISO 9001:2015 accreditation for its industry leading funeral director quality assurance programme.

Terry added: “The initiative between Hull City Council, SAIF and the NAFD has provided some helpful insights for the funeral profession and government officials. 

“At SAIF, we stand ready to work with independent funeral homes and the authorities to enable proportionate sector-wide visits that maintain the high standards already set by SAIF members. 

“By taking a consultative and collaborative approach with national and local governments, we are confident that we can introduce a workable regulatory system that protects bereaved families and good funeral directors who support them in their time of need.”