National Association of Funeral Directors Responds to Which? Report
The Which? report on funeral directors published today (March 7), strikes a positive chord, particularly in highlighting the benefits to consumers of choosing funeral directors which belong to a trade association, says the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD).
The Association was especially pleased that the Which? article alerts the public to the protection afforded them through the funeral service industry’s codes of practice. The NAFD takes the issue of standards very seriously and its code of practice – established in 1979 – is the original code of practice for the funeral service profession. The code is currently undergoing revision, as the NAFD continually assesses its effectiveness in maintaining high standards of service.
“We were a little disappointed that Which? implies complacency on the part of the three trade associations in complying with recommendations coming out of the July 2001 Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigation,” says Alan Slater, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Funeral Directors.
“Which? was critical of the fact that we have not submitted our code of practice to the OFT and we felt there was an implication that the funeral profession as a whole is sitting on its laurels after gaining a 96% ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ response in the OFT’s consumer survey of ‘at need’ funerals.
“In fact, the report’s findings correspond with some of the issues we have identified through ongoing research amongst the NAFD membership, and we had already set in motion a review, as a precursor to strengthening our code, at the time Which? conducted its research. “We are currently mid-way through the process of improving our code – which goes before the NAFD’s Executive Committee today (March 7) – as well as our client redress scheme.
Once finalised, the new code will be sent to the OFT,” adds Alan Slater. In accordance with the OFT’s decision not to recommend legislation of the funeral service industry, but rather to encourage ‘trade associations to develop robust codes of practice’, the NAFD is committed to improving standards both through its code and continuous professional development training.
The NAFD took a proactive approach to raising standards by instituting the Diploma in Funeral Directing. Customer relations and standards of service are an integral element of the Diploma course, which is designed to help ensure a sympathetic and tactful approach to dealing with the public.
It is a prerequisite of membership of the NAFD for funeral directors to have at least one member of their team with the NAFD Diploma, otherwise the firm’s principal has to pass an oral examination designed to assess ability to arrange a funeral.
Furthermore, the NAFD actively promotes the Diploma to all funeral directors. With respect to availability of information, especially written estimates and price lists, the NAFD believes it is in everyone’s interest to have a clear pricing structure and a written estimate is enshrined in its code of practice. The Association promotes best practice through guidance notes and user-friendly literature.
“While NAFD members are entitled to devise their own material, we assess it as part of our compliance procedure to ensure it is easily understood and sufficiently detailed,” says Alan Slater. “Members whose literature does not meet the Association’s standards are instructed to use the written estimate template we have developed plus our sample price list and funeral arrangement forms and general guidelines.”
Many NAFD members provide information for the public to take away. Again, to promote best practice, the NAFD has published a consumer guide to arranging a funeral, supplied to the majority of members during the past 12 months, and also makes information available on its website www.nafd.org.uk While the sample of funeral directors surveyed by Which? – 25 firms represents around 0.5% of the profession – is very small, and regional differences in pricing are to be expected of any service industry, the National Association of Funeral Directors is actively seeking to make improvements in the area of compliance monitoring.
“Improving standards is at the heart of the NAFD’s work, which is why we employ a full time compliance monitoring officer and why we operate a code of practice committee and a professional standards committee,” says Alan Slater. “Membership compliance with our code of practice is a given. Members found to be in breach of the code, and who do not take corrective action when called upon to do so, are ejected from the Association.”
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For further information, please contact Martine Layland at JM Bailey Communications, Tel: 0121 711 4499, Fax: 0121 711 4535, E-Mail: martine@jmbailey.co.uk.