A funeral director has been barred from NHS maternity wards and mortuaries in Leeds after a mother discovered her dead baby propped up watching cartoons at the woman's home. Amie Upton, 38, who runs Florrie's Army, a baby loss support and funeral service, was banned by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in spring this year following several serious concerns.
Zoe Ward, whose son Bleu died of brain damage at three weeks old in 2021, said she was horrified to find his body in a baby bouncer in Upton's living room. 'I realised it were Bleu and she says: "Come in, we're watching PJ Masks." There's a cat scratcher in the corner and I can hear a dog barking and there was another dead baby on the sofa,' Ward told the BBC. She described the environment as 'mucky' and 'dirty'.
Another couple was led to believe their baby was kept at a funeral home in Headingley, but later learned their daughter was at Upton's home five miles away. The woman said the body was 'really smelly, like she'd been in there and not kept cool'. The BBC saw evidence that babies' bodies were not stored in a refrigerated cot, although Upton owned one.
Upton told the BBC she had only ever received two complaints. When contacted by the Guardian, she declined to comment. The trust's chief nurse, Rabina Tindale, stated that neither Upton nor Florrie's Army is endorsed by or associated with the trust, and that safeguarding measures have been in place since 2021, including monitoring Upton's attendance at mortuaries.
In England and Wales, funeral homes are not regulated, and membership of professional associations is voluntary. The trust has raised concerns with police, safeguarding services, regulators, and the coroner's office.
