A look at the Council's Bereavement Services
In the last edition of Outlook, we looked at the lesser-known services provided by the Council, focusing on Edinburgh Scientific Services.
In this issue, we look at Bereavement Services – a 50-strong team of staff in Services for Communities ensuring that the deceased in the city, and their families, are treated safely and respectfully.
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The base for the Bereavement Services division is in Mortonhall and their main areas of work include:
Crematorium Mortonhall Crematorium is the only crematorium in Edinburgh operated by the Council. There are two chapels, accommodating 250 and 50 mourners respectively. A cremated remains scattering point has also been located on the River Almond for Hindu and Sikh communities.
Burial The Council looks after 39 cemeteries and churchyards, comprising 122,000 graves. The main cemetery is at Mortonhall. There is a Muslim burial facility at Portobello Cemetery and we were the first Council in Scotland to provide a woodland burial facility, located at Corstorphine Hill Cemetery. We’re in the process of providing a new cemetery which will serve the city for the next 50 years, at Bridgend Farm, Old Dalkeith Road.
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Mortuary The public mortuary is located in the Cowgate and consists of a body-storage area, ethnic body-washing facility, autopsy theatre and viewing area for relatives to identify bodies. The mortuary also provides a 24-hour, body-collection service for Lothian and Borders Police.
Indigent Dead We are responsible for arranging public burial and crematorium for the indigent dead (people who have died and where nobody is taking responsibility for making funeral arrangements or there is no funding available). This includes the administration of deceased persons’ estates and involves communication with many external organisations.