A.W. Lymn, a funeral director with three locations in Derby—Littleover, the city centre, and Spondon—has raised alarms over new regulations that have reportedly led to significant delays in funeral arrangements. The company is advocating for urgent reforms following changes implemented by the Department of Health and Social Care in England and Wales last September, which introduced medical examiners to review all non-coroner-referred deaths.
According to A.W. Lymn, these new requirements have caused a notable increase in the delays associated with the paperwork necessary for funeral services. Families are now facing waits of over four weeks to lay their loved ones to rest, whereas traditionally, funerals would be organised within two weeks. Matthew Lymn Rose, the managing director of A.W. Lymn, expressed concerns about the lack of accountability among medical professionals regarding the timely completion of necessary documentation. “What we’re seeing is a complete lack of consequence when medical professionals don’t complete paperwork in a timely fashion,” he stated. “There’s no urgency, no system of accountability. Meanwhile, families are left waiting and desperate for answers we simply can’t give.”
The funeral director’s staff often find themselves in the challenging position of having to communicate uncertain timelines to grieving families, many of whom are troubled by the delays. In one instance, a family experienced uncertainty about whether they could view their deceased loved one before burial because the embalming process had to be postponed pending the completion of forms.
The challenges do not end with paperwork; families have reported waiting more than three weeks to hear back from the medical examiner's office, forcing funeral staff to chase doctors to ensure timely processing. These delays not only complicate funeral planning but also conflict with cultural and religious practices surrounding death.
For example, in Islam, the custom mandates burial as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours after death, and embalming is forbidden, which means any delay can significantly affect the deceased's body. Similarly, open-casket funerals are prevalent in many Christian traditions and Caribbean communities, where there are cultural expectations for the deceased to be presented in their finest attire.
“These delays are damaging not just to the profession but to the families we serve,” Mr Lymn Rose remarked. “People want to say goodbye with dignity, in keeping with their values and traditions. It is heartbreaking when they cannot do that because of avoidable administrative failings.”
He added that even minor improvements in the speed of paperwork could substantially alleviate the stress on families. However, without a system that establishes clear timeframes for accountability, the burden continues to fall upon funeral directors to manage the expectations and emotional distress of grieving families.
Source: Noah Wire Services