Funeral Director Banned from Leeds Hospitals After Keeping Babies’ Bodies at Home
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A BBC investigation has revealed a funeral director in Leeds has been barred from NHS maternity wards and mortuaries after allegations surfaced that she kept babies’ bodies at her home, in conditions described as distressing by bereaved parents.
A 38-year-old Amie Upton, founder of the baby loss support and funeral service Florrie’s Army, has been prohibited from accessing Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust facilities since this spring. The investigation uncovered accounts of deceased infants being stored in Ms. Upton’s living room, prompting widespread concern and raising serious questions about the regulation of the funeral industry in England and Wales.
“Screaming” After Discovering Son in Bouncer
Zoe Ward, 32, experienced firsthand the shocking circumstances surrounding the care of her son, Bleu, who died of brain damage at Leeds General Infirmary in 2021 at just three weeks old. After a family friend recommended Florrie’s Army, Ms. Ward entrusted Ms. Upton with arranging Bleu’s funeral, initially believing the service would be “brilliant.”
However, a visit to Ms. Upton’s home the day after Bleu’s body was collected from the hospital revealed a scene Ms. Ward described as “terrifying.” She found her son’s body in a baby bouncer, positioned next to Ms. Upton as she watched cartoons. “I realised it were Bleu and she [Ms Upton] says: ‘Come in, we’re watching PJ Masks,’” Ms. Ward recounted. She further described the presence of another deceased infant on the sofa, a cat scratcher, and a barking dog, stating, “It wasn’t a nice sight.”
“I rang my mum and I’m saying, ‘This ain’t right’… I was screaming down the phone [saying]: ‘It’s mucky, it’s dirty, he can’t stay here,’” Ms. Ward added. Her mother subsequently arranged for another funeral director to collect Bleu’s body, removing him from Ms. Upton’s care. Ms. Ward expressed feeling “upset and angry” over the experience.
A Second Family’s Distress
Zoe Ward is not alone in her concerns. Sharon and Paul (not their real names) shared a similar experience after their daughter was stillborn at St James’ Hospital in Leeds earlier this year. They were led to believe their daughter’s body would be kept at a funeral parlour in Headingley until burial. However, more than a week later, Ms. Upton informed them their daughter was at her home, five miles from the expected location, without their consent.
“I just didn’t know why she was there,” Sharon stated. The couple reported a noticeable odor emanating from their daughter’s body, suggesting it had not been stored at the appropriate temperature. “It was really smelly, like she’d been in there and not kept cool,” Sharon explained.
Ms. Upton does possess a “cold cot” – a device with electrical cooling pads designed to maintain lower temperatures – and reportedly lends it to families. However, evidence suggests this equipment was not consistently used for all bodies under her care. Sharon and Paul promptly retrieved their daughter’s body and transferred it to another funeral director. Sharon’s mother described the situation as “crazy,” stating, “If I told somebody of this story… they’d think it was a horror film.”
Unregulated Industry and Safeguarding Concerns
The incidents have shone a spotlight on the lack of regulation within the funeral industry in England and Wales. Currently, there are no legal requirements governing how and where bodies should be stored, nor are qualifications mandated to operate as a funeral director. While the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) have a joint code of conduct emphasizing regular inspections and adherence to best practices – maintaining bodies in a clean, clinical environment between 4-7°C – membership in these organizations is voluntary. Ms. Upton is not a member of either.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust confirmed it only permits authorized funeral directors to sign for bodies from its mortuaries. Both Ms. Ward and Sharon and Paul’s babies were signed out by Philip Gallagher of Gallagher Funeral Services, a Trust-approved director. Mr. Gallagher acknowledged a five-year “working relationship” with Ms. Upton, including providing funerals for bereaved families, but did not respond to questions regarding the transfer of Sharon and Paul’s baby’s body from his parlour to Ms. Upton’s home.
The Trust stated it had received “several serious concerns” about Ms. Upton’s services over the past few years and has implemented “extra steps” in its mortuary procedures, including monitoring her attendance at the mortuary since 2021. Ms. Upton is now barred from the Trust’s mortuaries and maternity wards, except as a patient.
Police Investigation Yields No Charges
West Yorkshire Police investigated two reports concerning Ms. Upton’s funeral service since 2021, but concluded “no potential crimes were identified” after “extensive enquiries.” A police spokesperson acknowledged the added distress caused to the families involved, stating, “Our thoughts remain with them.”
When approached by the BBC for comment regarding the conditions at her home and allegations of moving bodies without parental consent, Ms. Upton did not respond. She did state she had received only two complaints in the eight years since establishing Florrie’s Army. Despite the recent allegations, many online reviews of her services on Facebook remain positive, with some families describing the service as “amazing” and “inspirational.”
Funeral director George Roberts, from SAIF, emphasized the need for professional standards and qualified personnel in the industry. “It’s wrong that funeral directors do not need to be qualified,” he said. “Anyone could easily go online, design business cards, get them printed and put them through neighbour’s doors and sit back and wait for the phone to ring.”
A statutory code of conduct for funeral directors was introduced in Scotland in March. The government is currently considering a recommendation from an inquiry in July to introduce similar regulations in England. In response to the findings of this investigation, a government spokesperson stated, “Our thoughts remain with the grieving families affected by this awful situation. They rightly expected their children to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to taking action to ensure the highest standards are always met by funeral directors and are now considering the full range of options to improve standards.”
