Latest news with #funerals
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
State-funded funerals on the increase across England
Tackling deprivation among older people in England is crucial to curbing an "unsustainable" increase in taxpayer-funded funerals, according to new study, by the ESRC Centre for Population Change (CPC), found London had the highest rate of state-funded cremations or burials. In Camden, almost one in 10 was paid for in this coastal areas, such as Hastings and Blackpool, and the metropolitan areas of Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Leeds, also have comparatively high Jane Falkingham, director of CPC based at the University of Southampton, said there was "a clear link between poverty and public health funerals" and the numbers have been rising. Funerals paid for out of the public purse used to be known as "paupers" funerals, but are now called "welfare" or "public health funerals" (PHF). They happen when people die in poverty, alone or without relatives who can afford to cremate or bury usually falls on local authorities, with a recent snapshot survey by the Local Government Association revealing councils arrange an average of 12 funerals a day at an annual cost of about £6m. In collaboration with the BBC, CPC academics at the University of Southampton discovered about a quarter of all public health funerals are carried out by NHS hospitals, at an additional estimated annual cost of £1.36m. Researchers analysed data from hundreds of Freedom of Information requests carried out by BBC South and discovered the number of state-funded funerals rose from 4,760 in 2014-15 to 7,020 in size and demographics of the population in different parts of the country was also taken into account. While establishing an estimated rate of PHF per 1,000 deaths over the seven-year period, Prof Jane Falkingham said London emerged as a "real hotspot"."The biggest surprise for me was the rate in the Borough of Camden where nearly one in 10 of all funerals were actually 'public health' funerals."In some of our coastal communities too where we know we have high levels of deprivation, such as Blackpool and Hastings, it's around one in every 20 funerals." The team also identified hotspots in areas with higher population density, greater homelessness and more a lack of funds was found to be a bigger driver of need for state-funded funerals, rather than loneliness or a lack of Council said it was "proud" to offer a public health funerals service.A spokesperson, who said rates had been "stable" since the pandemic, added: "We remain bold in our action to create a fairer borough and help ensure no one is left behind." Councillor Anna Railton, from Oxford City Council, said organising funerals can be "really complicated" and "time-consuming" and every effort is made to reclaim costs from said council staff have to work like detectives. "It involves going into the deceased person's home, trying to find a will and other important documents, and trying to track down next of kin, which can take months," she said."So you will be sat in a mortuary while this process takes place and the funeral you'll end up with is very basic."This is because while hospitals and councils strive to uphold the dignity of the deceased, they must also keep costs down to safeguard taxpayers' money. "By default, it'll be a cremation," said Anna, "unless there are religious reasons or the council finds a will that says otherwise and if it's a burial there'll be no marker, just a bare patch of grass."My advice to people is to put thought into your wishes and put money aside because I think most people wouldn't choose to go through this process." Some NHS Trusts have stopped carrying out public health funerals for people who die in hospital, transferring the responsibility to local councils has happened in east Christchurch and Poole Council said taking over the local NHS trust's provision has cost about £21,000 extra a 2024, BCP Council's funeral bill totalled £46, Portsmouth, council papers revealed the "continued high demand in recent years" and the complex process of trying to claim money back from the estates of the deceased was "unsustainable". Greatest need among men The CPC's analysis backs up previous research which suggested the vast majority of people cremated or buried by the state are men. The data shows the rate at which men die in poverty or without family who can afford funeral fees is about three times higher than the one for Falkingham believes one of the reasons for this was the difference in social networks between men and women, and cited other CPC research which suggests men are much more likely than women to enter into later life without a partner. She said: "There has been an increase in the number of unpartnered men, particularly in mid-life, who either have never had a partner or who are not currently partnered having experienced marital breakdown."These men are much more likely to lose touch with their children and become isolated." The CPC research also highlights a need for data to be collated and coordinated nationally so future demand could be projected, especially in the light of increasing levels of deprivation and to the research, the Local Government Association (LGA) called the rising number of public health funerals a "concern" and said it is essential "the most vulnerable in our society are treated with dignity".Councillor Heather Kidd, chair of the LGA's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: "Councils need long-term certainty and sustainable funding to ensure that public health funerals, along with other essential services, can continue to be delivered to the high standard required." If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for support.
Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Boil in the bag funerals could be given go-ahead
People could soon be able to choose to be boiled and flushed down the drain instead of cremated or buried. A consultation on funerary methods by the Law Commission is proposing legal approval of alkaline hydrolysis and human composting as new ways of disposing of people's bodies. Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat and pressure to break down a body into liquid and pieces of bone, which can take between two and 18 hours. Bones and teeth survive the process and are ground into a powder to be returned to the family, while the rest of the body is broken down into liquid, which can be sent to the sewers. These funerals have been known as a water burial or resomation, but have colloquially been dubbed 'flushed away' and 'flush and bone' rituals. The Law Commission states the process is fundamentally different from burial and cremation and yet there is no clear regulatory approval of the process, effectively barring it from being used in Britain. People can choose a water burial in parts of Australia and Canada. A site in Navan, Ireland, is the first of its kind in Europe, which costs around €1,500 (£1,260). The Co-operative announced in 2023 it was hoping to bring water burials to British customers in what it called the 'biggest change to funerals in over 120 years'. But this endeavour failed as a result of regulatory hurdles that made it impossible under current laws. A spokesman from Co-op Funeralcare said: 'At Co-op Funeralcare, we are committed to serving the needs of our member-owners and clients and offering the most sustainable and affordable services. 'In 2023, we announced our ambition to pilot Resomation in the UK, and we subsequently worked closely with the Government to explore the regulatory requirements to introduce this service across the nation. However, we did not proceed with this as, at the time, we were unable to find a path through the current regulatory framework. 'We welcome The Law Commission's review and encourage exploration into alternative methods that provide consumers with greater choice and deliver environmental benefits.' 'Have a cup of granddad' There is currently 'no specific regulation of new funerary methods' in England and Wales. The consultation proposes that the law is changed to allow for new funeral methods to be approved and to define regulations. Criminal offences for improper use are also proposed. Alkaline hydrolysis was used as a funerary method for the bodies of five deceased people in 2019 as part of a specially authorised study into the process. Dr Lian Lundy, of Middlesex University, a wastewater specialist, conducted the analysis and says that it can take between four and 18 hours to complete, depending on various factors such as the concentration of chemicals and water temperature. Her analysis found that the water a body boils in is full of compounds that are safe to be put back into the wastewater supply. She said: 'We collected the wastewater and analysed it for the sort of parameters used for trade effluent and all the pollutants that we looked at fell well within the range of values they would accept. 'From a technical perspective, for the parameters we looked at, it wasn't an issue. 'It's a system that could be added to a church or added to any location. So it would potentially be a completely different model for disposing of the dead. She added: 'Yorkshire Water collected the samples using their methods and then they analysed them in their labs. I just got an Excel spreadsheet and analysed the data. 'From a water quality perspective, our study didn't indicate there were any issues with discharging to sewer. The biggest hurdle, Dr Lundy said, was social acceptability and not chemical or water safety. 'I think it's because it's a new process and people don't really understand it,' she said. 'And when it does get into the newspapers, it tends to be quite sensationalised, as in, 'flushing grandma down the toilet' and 'have a cup of granddad'. 'But there's a lot that goes into the sewer that we don't really think about – waste from mortuaries and hospitals and all sorts of things that we don't know about. So from that perspective, it's not really any different. 'Some people view it as basically mixing up my loved one with poo in the sewer and they don't like that. However, some people see returning to the water environment as being a gentler approach.'
