The changes that we’ve seen within the funeral industry, regulation is one of them. We now have regulated funerals and regulated funeral plans. We have changes in the way death is treated in terms of registration. The way in which the hospitals treat the dead. You can’t say, Â someone dies of old age anymore. There has to be some medical reason for death, no matter how old the person.
So, I call this medicalisation of death. It’s done in layers of bureaucracy, where we are moving towards the medical referee system. So GPs will not be able, without direction from the medical referee, to issue cremation paperwork or issue any form of medical certificate for the cause of death. This is centralising things. And I have to say, despite the messages coming down from the Ministry of Justice, that it will speed things up, I disagree, and I think it is only going to slow things down.
30 years ago, you could have a cremation within ten days. You could have a burial within a week. We are now running at  2 to 3 weeks for a cremation; though you can still have a burial in ten days. But I think cremations will be getting out to four or five weeks before too much longer. Now, is that good?
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We’re double finalists in the Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine Awards
by Rebecca Welham
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for two titles in the Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine Awards 2025. We’re finalists in both the Employer of the Year and Sustainability & Community categories, with the winners due to be announced in December.Â
At Welham Jones Funeral Directors, supporting our local communities in West Kent and Southeast London is at the heart of everything we do. This Christmas, we’re once again spreading festive cheer through our annual chocolate appeal: collecting sweet treats for local children who might otherwise go without. If you’d like to get involved, here’s how you can support our branches across West Kent and Southeast London.Â
Back in February, we welcomed Ricci Webster, our newest Tunbridge Wells funeral arranger, to Welham Jones. And, we have to say, if there is anyone who has a natural knack for building rapport and always knowing the right words to say – or not say – it’s Ricci, who brings experience as both a hairdresser and working in a private baby scanning clinic. Thus, it is our pleasure to introduce you formally to Ricci.