Funeral colleagues praised by families for their compassionate care during difficult time

Posted by james brindle | Published: 06/05/2020


Central England Co-op Funeralcare colleagues have been commended for going above and beyond to ensure families have received the most compassionate and caring service during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The feedback was received from families who have lost loved ones as part of an online survey sent out as part of the Society’s after-care service and is a useful tool to understand where the experience had been enhanced by colleagues and where any improvements could be made.

Dozens of responses in praise of funeralcare teams have been received since the onset of the Coronavirus outbreak and since enforced changes have had to be made to the way funerals are carried out in order to protect families and colleagues.

A respondent who had been cared for by the team at Co-op Funeralcare in Heanor said: “The quality of care and service from the entire team at Heanor from the point of collecting my father when he passed all the way through to the funeral and beyond was exceptional.”

Another who had been looked after by Co-op Funeralcare in West Bars, Chesterfield commented: “All of the staff were amazing, very understanding and as accommodating as the current situation, with COVID-19 and lockdown, would allow.”

Co-op Funeralcare in Clay Cross was praised by a respondent who said: “The Funeral Director and her team were exceptional given the extreme difficulties placed on us all due to the Coronavirus.”

Speaking about Co-op Funeralcare in Hunstanton, a family said: “Everyone was very kind and professional making the whole experience so much easier and comforting than I expected.”

The drivers at the Walsall Road Funeral Home in Great Barr were thanked for being “very thoughtful and professional especially through the terrible Covid-19 issues.”

A comment about Amblers Brothers Funeral Home in Moseley said: “This funeral took place after lockdown with limited mourners and they couldn't have been more sympathetic.”

Commenting on the care received at Co-op Funeralcare in Mickleover a respondent said: “All your staff were willing to accommodate my smallest wishes in exceptionally difficult circumstances.”

Hazel Moss, Head of Funeral at Central England Co-op, said: “It has been so heart-warming to see such an abundance of positive responses from families who have taken the time to praise our teams for their care and compassion.

“This has been a challenging time for those families who have not only had to face up to losing a loved one, but also to having to say goodbye in a different way due to the measures put in place to protect them and our colleagues.

“I am so proud of all my colleagues for the dedicated and compassionate service they have offered families in these circumstances and I would like to thank families for their patience and understanding for the work our teams are doing in such difficult times.”

People can keep up to date with how Central England Co-op is responding to the Coronavirus by visiting www.centralengland.coop/updates

 

 

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues serving our Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop