Katie Mills Independent Funeral Service

13/08/2024

Thank you to Funeral Guide for the wonderful congratulations. We have reached 100 verified 5-Star Reviews on Funeral Guide.

Thank you also to our amazing families and everyone who has taken the time to review our service and for your ultimate trust in us as a small new business.

Please use the link in the comments below to see what our families have said about us and our service.

11/07/2024

Had an incredible day yesterday here, big thankyou to Wessex RFCA for the invite , John, Emily and Leanne. A real money can't buy behind the scenes tour of the Royal Marine Commando Training base, the training facilities, accommodation, recruits in training and the infamous bottom field, really great informative talks & presentations on Royal Marines Reserves the Royal Marines Charity and what it takes to become a Royal Marine .Highlighting the importance of having ex service personnel, reservists etc in your business and the benefits and skills they bring with them.
Thankyou to all involved for a truly special day.
If your company has not signed the Armed Forces Covenant yet please look in to it, the benefits to you as a business far out weigh your input, incredible way of supporting our Armed Forces, Ex service, Reservist , spouses and families.

11/03/2024

Many people will have seen the hugely distressing news stories regarding a funeral director in Hull this weekend. We want to take a moment to reassure families whose loved ones we have cared for, both past and present.

Since opening in 2020, we have wanted to demonstrate the care and professionalism we provide to our families. We became members of the leading funeral industry trade bodies. We became NAFD (National Association of Funeral Directors) members in 2020 and SAIF (The National Society of Allied Independent Funeral Directors) in 2021. This means that we are bound to the NAFD Funeral Director Code, which guides the actions, behaviour, and standards of all NAFD funeral homes. We are also bound by the SAIF Code of Practice, which promotes industry-leading standards of care and safeguarding.

These Codes of Practice are designed to help those in funeral service act in the public interest and aspire to the highest professional standards. They include specific outcomes regarding how deceased people are cared for and the transparency of information provided to bereaved people, as well as more general requirements to meet all relevant laws and regulations.

In addition to our trade bodies, IFSO (Independent Funeral Standards Organisation) team of inspectors provides independent oversight of our services. Our funeral home can be inspected without warning at any time. These comprehensive inspections include checks in our mortuary area. We have passed every inspection we have been subject to by trade bodies and IFSO. We hold IFSO Approved Status.

Our mortuary facility was a brand-new installation in 2022, and we use only industry-leading products to provide the care we offer. Your loved one is only cared for by either Rob or me or (if required) a BIE (British Institute of Embalmers) qualified embalmer.

We welcome any inspection of our facilities by trade body inspectors, medical professionals, care staff, and family members, should this be helpful to them.

Our thoughts go out to all the families affected in Hull, and we are on hand to answer any questions families may have about us, our facilities, and our standards of care or processes.

Katie

https://www.nafd.org.uk/
https://saif.org.uk/
https://ifso.org.uk/
https://ifso.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IFSO-Code-20.01.22.pdf

23/02/2024

A big thankyou to Dorset Carriage Masters for the 2 limosuines today, just what the family wanted. Excellent, quality service from Ged & Ben. Also thankyou for the help from both of you on what was a huge service.. 😀.

19/12/2023

Rob and I, along with all of our team would like to wish all our families, friends and industry colleagues a peaceful Christmas and New Year. Sending our love and best wishes to you all. ### Katie

23/11/2023

There it is the Gold Award 😃😃😃 We are so proud to have been awarded this, 1st Funeral Directors in the UK to achieve this.
To Wessex RFCA for hosting this event, to all the military personnel that made this night for us so special, from the Drum Corp who performed for us, the food which was exceptional, Rear Admiral Finn who presented our award, our table hosts, the other award winners and finally to John Beake of Wessex RFCA who has been by our side from day 1 back in 2020. A huge Thankyou from all of us Katie Mills Independent Funeral Service ...

28/05/2023

We appear to have some delightful people commenting on our posts and tagging people implying we are selling branded items. This is a scam please do not respond or click on them.

While Facebook is investigating this please do not click on any links that are not from Rob or myself. As soon as we see them we are deleting the comments but people are still being tagged.

Sadly some people can sink to unimaginable depths.

02/12/2022

Yesterday we had an unannounced spot inspection from IFSO.( Independent Funeral Standards Organisation) .This is part of an ongoing program to inspect funeral directors across the country, they inspect the premises, administration and compliance with the CMA, this includes clear pricing structures, declarations of ownership ,financial interests, procedures ,experience and knowledge etc..... We passed with flying colours with only one comment " Carry on exactly the way you are"....😁👍🏻 We welcome inspections and scrutinisation of our business by any trade body or standards organisation at anytime. Independent Funeral Standards Organisation

21/09/2022

We are over the moon to be able to announce that after an intensive inspection we have been accepted into membership of The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).

Alongside our membership of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), which we have held since 2020, our clients can be reassured that we are operating at the highest possible standards that can be set within our industry.

Publicly displaying our membership by using their logos, shows our clients that we maintain those standards and they can trust us to always serve them with dignity and respect.

For more information, please see our blog post on why we decided to become members of both trade bodies.

https://www.kmillsfuneralservice.co.uk/post/our-trade-body-memberships

17/07/2022

We are very proud to work alongside MuchLoved to offer our free Online Tribute Pages to our families.

In the last 12 months our families have raised an incredible £12,796.36 for both local and national charities in memory of their loved ones.

Of the 26 charities our families have chosen this year, notable totals are:
£4,495.95 to Rowcroft Hospice
£1,944.95 to Silence of Su***de
£775.08 to Alzheimer's Society

These pages are all part of the service we offer and there is no charge for them. They remain forever as a lasting memorial.

Families can leave messages, light a candle in memory, post videos and even the Visual Tribute used in the service. With our use of digital media to support families, these pages can give directions to the service or the wake and access to the order of service if required.

To see our pages and how they support our families please go to https://www.kmillsfuneralservice.co.uk/funeral-notices

17/06/2022

To help support those who are struggling with bereavement we have partnered with GriefChat. GriefChat believes professional bereavement support should always be accessible to those in need.

They support us by helping those dealing with grief by providing them with a safe space to be able to share their story, explore their feelings and be supported by a qualified bereavement counsellor.

In addition to this, GriefChat can help bereaved people to consider if they need additional support and where to get this from.

Anyone can use this online chat service on our website whether they have used our services in the past or not. So if you know someone who is struggling please pass on the link.

https://www.kmillsfuneralservice.co.uk/bereavement-support

14/06/2022

We are over the moon to be able to announce that we have received our Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award. This award means so much to Katie and I and also more importantly to our team. We will continue to strive to support our Armed Forces, Reservists, Veterans and their dependents, whilst continuing to honour the pledges we made at the very beginning. We will be receiving our award at an official ceremony by the Lord-Lieutenant of Devon later in the year.

We are the only Funeral Director in the South West to ever receive the Silver Award. We can not stress enough the importance of businesses to support our military by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. Ex and Serving Armed Forces have so much to offer a business with their transferable skills, commitment and drive to succeed. It's not about what you get out of it, it's about what you give back.

10/06/2022

Rob and I are delighted to be able to display our IFSO (Independent Funeral Standards Organisation) Quality Assured Logo.

The assurance means we are regularly inspected to ensure our levels of care, professionalism, ethics and adherence to the new Government Regulations on the Funeral Industry.

Many people believe the funeral industry has always been regulated but this is not the case. Self-regulation or standards checks by the industry trade bodies have been the only form of checks up until now.

The IFSO has been set up to meet the new demands of regulation from the Government on the industry and it is a welcome step.

Any firm displaying this logo must adhere to the Funeral Director's Code and Indicative behaviours.

Code principles
This Code is founded on the following eleven mandatory principles. Any failure to operate in accordance with these principles will constitute a breach of this Code.

Funeral businesses must:
1. act in the best interests of each client, and prospective client;
2. provide the best possible level of care to bereaved people, keeping in mind the specific needs of each client and family;
3. respect and maintain the dignity of people in your care at all times;
4. act transparently, with honesty and integrity;
5. provide clients will full and fair information about services, products and associated prices;
6. behave in a way that promotes and maintains public trust in their business, the funeral directing profession and related industries;
7. comply with all legal and regulatory obligations and deal with their regulators in an open, timely and cooperative manner;
8. run their business effectively and in accordance with proper governance and sound risk management principles;
9. run their business in a way that encourages equality of opportunity and respect for diversity;
10. run their business in a way that encourages a culture that values and welcomes both negative and positive feedback as a way of putting things right and continuously improving service; and
11. conduct appropriate due diligence in relation to all third-party contractual relationships that have the potential to negatively impact clients.

08/05/2022

Katie Mills Independent Funeral Service We had the pleasure today to be invited as VIP's by Wessex RFCA and 24 Commando as part of our Armed Forces Covenant to attend Ten Tors 2022. It was an incredible day, we we're given presentations by senior members of the Army on the structure within the South West, how we can engage more, benefits of employing reservist's and the skills they bring, local community engagement, how the Ten Tors is important, along with an inspiring talk from a 3 x Ten Tors achiever before being taken up on to Dartmoor by military transport to Wilsworthy Range to meet members of the checkpoint teams/Dartmoor Search & Rescue and have an amazing lunch laid on by Reservist chefs and then back to camp to watch the teams come in and cheer then on... Ten Tors is an incredible and important event supported by the Armed forces, regulars and reservists giving young people leadership and team building skills alongside navigation and a determination to succeed...

01/02/2022

Something a little different for Rob last Friday using our executive car. A beautiful wedding at Cockington Court of course with pink bubbles.

13/01/2022

In loving memory of Martin Fazakarley who sadly passed away on the 18th December 2021. Martin's Tribute Page holds information for his funeral service, reception and donations to Exmoor Zoo.

Martin's funeral service will be held at St Peter's Chapel, Exeter Crematorium, on Monday 17th January 2022 at 3.30pm, for anyone who cannot attend the service there will be a live webcast and details can be found on his Tribute Page.

Martin's family have asked that friends of Martin share this post to make sure all of his friends are aware of the service details.

https://martinfazakarley.muchloved.com/

Dedicated to the memory of Martin Fazakarley

06/01/2022

We would like to say a massive thank you to all our amazing families who have left reviews on our service on the Funeral Guide website.

Please feel free to click the link below and see what our families and clients have to say about us and our service.

https://www.funeralguide.co.uk/reviews/company/707?branded

02/01/2022

We are proud to announce that this year our families have raised an incredible £10,936 in memory of their loved ones through their tribute pages.

This is a wonderful amount to raise for local and national charities, and really shows how much giving in loving memory can make a difference.

21/12/2021

Our Christmas thoughts and best wishes go to all the amazing people and families we have had the privilege to look after this year. Please know Rob and I will be thinking of you at this time. We wish you a peaceful Christmas with your families. All our love Rob and Katie xx

21/12/2021

Please see our Christmas and New Year opening times. We will still be available 24 hours a day throughout the Christmas and New Year on 01803 520103.

21/12/2021

Rob and I would like to wish all of our families a peaceful Christmas and thank you all for your kindness this year. We are available all over Christmas and New Year even when the funeral home is closed on 01803 520103.

17/12/2021

What a lovely surprise just before Christmas.... We are truly over the moon to have been awarded the Bronze Award in recognition of our commitment to our Armed Forces.

02/12/2021

We are delighted to finally be able to announce our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. Due to the pandemic, we have not been able to make this announcement until now but we have honoured our pledges since we opened in 2020 and to date over 30 families have made use of the pledges we set out to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Please watch the video we have created to better understand what the Armed Forces Covenant means to us and our pledges we have signed up to promise. All photos and video used have the permission of UKMOD© Crown Copyright and of the photographer.
The covenant was something we promised to ourselves to commit to from our very first days of opening the business. It was our commitment to not only honour the many members of both mine and Katies families who have served and in some cases, lost their lives in service to our country but also to the ex-forces and their families here in Torbay.
We would like to thank Ronnie Carter and the members of Torbay Veterans Breakfast Club for their support and who were kind enough to listen to a short talk we gave on the Covenant and our pledges to the Armed Forces community.
A thankyou also to Colonel Neville Holmes MBE Commander HQ South West for countersigning our pledges. When pandemic allows, we will also be asking Torbay Veterans and the Royal British Legion who also agreed to countersign.

11/11/2021

17/09/2021

A huge step in the right direction. Since our inception, we have clearly displayed our fees and charges in both our funeral home and on our website. As of yesterday, it has become law that all funeral directors must show this information clearly on their website, inside their premises and in their windows or outside their building.

For families who are grieving to be able to find this information easily at a time that is right for them can only ever be a good thing.

From today, 16 September 2021, all UK funeral directors are required to make pricing information easily accessible for customers, under new rules by the Competition and Markets Authority.

In funeral home windows, customers will be able to find a ‘Standardised Price List’, which all UK funeral homes must display, showing the cost of simple funeral services that they can provide.

If you prefer to choose from a wider range of products, packages and services you can view an Additional Options Price List.

Inside the funeral home, posters or screens will display the Standardised Price List along with details of local cremation prices and payment terms.

Funeral directors are also now required to display information about which company owns the funeral home and any gifts, sponsorships or donations (of £250 or above) to connected organisations, such as hospices and care homes.

On funeral home websites, there will be copies of price lists, local cremation fees and payment terms, as well as information about who owns the funeral home and any donations they make.

Find out more here.