HOSPITAL bosses have spent more than £70,000 over the past four years on funerals – because relatives could not be found or were unable to foot the bill.
The trust which runs the Royal Derby and London Road Community hospitals usually pays £1,100 for a funeral if a friend or relative of a deceased patient is unable to pay or no family member can be traced.
Since April 2010, 71 funerals have been paid for by the city's hospitals trust, totalling £73,754.26.
The figures were released by the NHS trust under the Freedom of Information Act.
Cathy Winfield, chief nurse and director of patient experience for Derby's hospitals, said: "In the event of a patient's death at one of our hospitals, we are obliged to ensure they receive a dignified, respectful funeral.
"If there are no family members present at the time of death, we will make all reasonable attempts to contact any relatives to inform them of the death and discuss funeral arrangements.
"Sadly, if no relatives can be traced, or if those who are contacted are not in a position to fund the funeral costs, we will make arrangements for an appropriate service to be held."
Under the 1984 Public Health Act, local authorities are obliged to carry out funerals in cases where there is nobody else to make the arrangements or meet the costs.
But councils do not normally undertake funeral arrangements if the person died in hospital as, under these circumstances, it is the hospital authorities which take responsibility.
The figures show that, between the financial year of April 2010 and March 2011, 15 funerals were paid for at a cost of £14,328.26.
The same number of funerals were paid for over the same period between 2011 and 2012 but the cost increased to £16,711.40.
From April 2012 and March 2013, it cost the trust £23,579.60 to foot the bill for 23 funerals.
But, between April 2013 and March 2014, the figure dropped to £19,135, as Derby's hospitals paid for 18 funerals.
The trust confirmed that, of the 71 funerals, 69 of these were cremation and two of them – both between 2011 and 2012 – were burials. It is not known why these two were different.
And the trust also said the funerals took place in either Markeaton Crematorium or Nottingham Road Cemetery.
The Derby Telegraph has previously reported how the cost of a funeral can cover coffin, gown, hearse, services of a funeral director, cremation or burial fees and a chaplain to carry out the funeral.
