FUNERAL directors must be regulated to stop rogue operators, warn experts investigating the NHS morgue monster David Fuller.

Fuller was sentenced to life in prison for murdering two women and sexually abusing the bodies of more than 100 at hospitals in Kent.

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Sir Jonathan Michael, chair of the inquiry into his crimes, said the funeral industry needs urgent reform.

He said he has sped up his work due to “recent distressing reports”.

Three people were arrested in the summer in connection with a funeral home in Hull, East Yorks, after families found loved ones’ remains had been mixed up or lost.

Past incidents have seen bodies treated inappropriately or left to rot in funeral parlours.

NHS hospital mortuaries have also been found to be too small, too warm or not properly secured.

Anyone can set themselves up as a funeral director and keep the bodies in their garage without anybody being able to stop them. That cannot be right

Sir Jonathan Michael Chair of the Fuller Inquiry

The Fuller inquiry found funeral directors do not need a licence, qualifications or training, and described the sector as an “unregulated free-for-all”.

Sir Jonathan said: “It is clear to me that many people believe or assume that the sector is already regulated, and they are shocked to find this is not the case. 

“The fact is that anyone can set themselves up as a funeral director. 

“They could do it from their home and keep the bodies of the deceased in their garage without anybody being able to stop them. 

“That cannot be right.

“My hope is that publishing this interim report now will assist both the Government and the funeral sector itself to take steps that assure the public that care in the funeral sector is fit for purpose. 

“We need a regulatory regime that will not tolerate any form of abuse or any practices that compromise the security and dignity of the deceased.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The Government is committed to preventing any similar atrocities happening again and ensuring
that the deceased are safeguarded and treated with dignity.”

WOMEN are having their pain dismissed more than men at almost every stage of their lives, according to research.

A study of 5,000 adults examined how everyday pain is poorly understood and mistreated, with 81 per cent of 18-24-year-old women feeling their pain is ignored or dismissed.

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This compares to just 73 per cent of men of the same age.

While more than half of women aged 45 and over feel they have been ignored or dismissed, this drops to 49 per cent of men.

In addition, four in 10 women with menopause-related pain had it dismissed or ignored, and one in six women over 45 claimed it took longer than a year for the cause of their suffering to be diagnosed.

Overall, 19 per cent of all women felt their pain was dismissed by healthcare professionals for more than five years compared to 16 per cent of men.

As a result, one in five said their career has been impacted because of their pain.

The research was commissioned by Nurofen and its parent company Reckitt, as part of its latest Gender Pain Gap Index Report, which has been tracked annually since 2022.

Gabby Menezes-Forsyth, 25, suffered extreme period pain as a teenager before an endometriosis diagnosis.

She said: “I felt from an early age that the extreme period pain I was experiencing seemed to be worse than others, but I didn’t have a frame of reference for what was normal.

“I felt dismissed as ‘dramatic’ by everyone – from loved ones to teachers. In frequent trips to the GP, their dismissal never appeared cruel or to suggest that I wasn’t in pain, but rather that there was nothing they could do.

“Ultimately, it was only after suffering a miscarriage at age 22 that I was diagnosed with a biconcave uterus and endometriosis.

“Even with the clarity that the diagnosis offered, it was a difficult realisation to come to, understanding that this would always be something that would impact my life.”

The research shows that the average Gap stands at seven per cent, indicating that more women than men have had their pain ignored or dismissed.

While this year’s Gap has narrowed (two per cent in 2024 vs 11 per cent in 2023), a higher number of women felt their pain was ignored or dismissed (62 per cent in 2024, 49 per cent in 2023 and 56 per cent in 2022.

A third of women felt it has impacted their mental health – up from a quarter in the 2023 report.

And one in four even started to question their own sanity, believing their pain wasn’t real after having it dismissed.

Clare Knox, founder and CEO of See Her Thrive, said: “So much is talked about the Gender Pay Gap – a similar issue, which needs fixing.

“But this report shows the Gender Pain Gap is also holding so many women back from reaching their true potential and climbing the career ladder.

“We need to start supporting women to thrive in every aspect of their lives, whether that’s helping them manage pain so they can carve out the career they want, or working with organisations to create environments which empower women’s health in the workplace.”

It also emerged the workplace was found to be one of the most common places for pain to have been overlooked for 40 per cent of women.

And only a fifth are comfortable talking about their pain to HR or their manager in the workplace.

But the dismissal by a health care professional is happening as young as between 10 and 15 for one in 10 girls.

Dr Bill Laughey, senior medical scientist at Reckitt, which has also announced a partnership with Plan International UK to support girls’ health literacy, said: “With three years of data, we can now start to see the nuances of how women’s pain is dismissed and, crucially, use this insight to help address gender biases for those who experience it the most. 

“This complements our wider commitments to our research programmes, working with Imperial Consultants, London to identify what education the next generation of HCPs want to see while supporting the Royal College of GPs in providing training around gender bias in primary care settings.”

In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.

It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.

Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.

How do they work?

The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less and therefore lose weight.

To do this, semaglutide mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.

GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.

London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.

“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”

Aren’t they diabetes drugs?

Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.

But people started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.

Novo Nordisk then developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.

Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.

Can I get them?

Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.

The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.

Both are only available throught specialist weight management services, which means you have to be referred to clinics led by experts.

GPs can’t prescribe them on their own, Dr Watson said. 

The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed. 

Are there any risks?

Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.

Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”

Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.

What other options are there?

Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.

Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.

The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.

It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.

It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.

Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.

“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”

GREAT British Bake Off star Ravneet Gill has issued an apology after making “harmful” comments on spinoff show An Extra Slice.

The chef and author, 33, appeared on the Channel 4 programme alongside host Jo Brand and guests Jonathan Ross and Josh Pugh on October 10.

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While discussing the Bread Week challenges, Gill told the panel: “Well, I love bread, but my mum’s coeliac so she shouldn’t eat bread, but she still loves it, she still eats it.”

Her remarks were criticised by the Coeliac UK, and hundreds of viewers with the autoimmune condition, which requires a strict gluten free diet and affects one in 100 people.

In an open letter to the Bake Off producers, charity CEO Hilary Croft said Gill had “trivialised” coeliac disease, which can lead to severe pain, recurrent miscarriage and even bowel cancer if not properly managed, and “sent a harmful message to the public”.

In response, the Junior Bake Off judge said on Instagram: “I want to make it really clear that my intention was not in any way to cause any misinformation about the severity of coeliac disease or to downplay it at all.

“For that, I hold my hands up and that was really never my intention.”

She added: “For those of you that don’t know me, I thought I’d provide a bit of context to my work and what I do.

“When I was in my 20s, I worked in London’s first gluten-free restaurant, long before platforms like YouTube and Instagram were as big, and I spent a lot of time educating myself.

“I also have spent the last year writing a lot more gluten free recipes for the community, and that’s because I get asked about them a lot.

“I just want to circle back and let you know that I didn’t intend for those comments to cause harm, and the fact that they did really upset me, and I’m sorry about that.”

She insisted that her mum isn’t upset, and that “in a fast-moving panel show, sometimes it’s hard and you can’t get your words out, and I should have provided more context”.

Brand saw the funny side, saying of Gill’s mum: “Good for her.”

“And good for whoever cleans up after her,” Ross joked, followed by laughter from the studio audience.

Croft “expressed concern” over the interaction, as did several influencers and hundreds of social media users.

One person wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Her comments were ridiculous.

“Eating gluten when you have coeliac disease is extremely damaging and you should not be encouraging this.”

While another said: “It was unbelievable. Ravneet is a Junior Bake Off judge!

“I can’t believe how ill-informed she is and how coeliac disease was trivialised.”

And gluten free blogger Becky Excell said: “This is so frustrating when we are all working so hard to raise awareness of coeliac disease in the right ways, and especially with it not being too far from the festive season when we really need everyone to understand more than ever.

“It’s especially frustrating when a programme isn’t even live as itcould have been stopped from being aired.

“Following a gluten free diet isn’t for fun or enjoyment, it’s not a choice.”

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In a public letter to the producers of An Extra Slice, Croft said: “We are writing to you as Coeliac UK, the national charity representing the interests of people living with coeliac disease.

“We would like to express our concern regarding the comments made by Ravneet Gill during the latest episode of An Extra Slice (series 15, episode 3), which aired on October 10 at 8pm.

“During the show, Gill made light of coeliac disease when discussing her mother’s condition.

“The comments [made by Gill, Brand and Ross] trivialise coeliac disease and send a harmful message to the public.

“Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune condition where the ingestion of gluten triggers an immune response that damages the gut lining, leading to nutrient malabsorption and a host of potential health complications.

“Even the smallest crumb of gluten can cause severe symptoms, including debilitating pain, prolonged suffering and even recurrent miscarriage, as well as long-term health risks such as osteoporosis and, in rare cases, small bowel cancer.

My view, as someone with coeliac disease

By Alice Fuller, Senior Health Reporter

WE all know that Ravneet Gill, Jo Brand and Jonathan Ross were joking.

And it was funny, as eating gluten when you have coeliac disease really can make a mess!

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But while I can laugh, it is also incredibly disappointing.

As someone with the condition, I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when people just don’t get it.

I have my own toaster, butter and jam, I use a separate chopping board, and I avoid anything labelled ‘may contain gluten’ or ‘made in a factory that handles gluten’.

I also have to do extensive research when going out for dinner and I always carry a cereal bar in my bag in case I can’t find anywhere safe to eat.

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It’s a nightmare, and when people make light of eating bread when it could make you seriously ill, it only adds to the misunderstanding.

Coeliac disease is serious, and it needs to be taken seriously.

“It is crucial to emphasise that coeliac disease is not a food preference or an allergy; it is a serious medical condition that requires lifelong adherence to a strict gluten free diet.

“We are particularly disheartened by Gill’s comments given her previous role as a judge on the Junior Bake Off, where she displayed compassion for those that have been diagnosed.

“The remarks made during An Extra Slice perpetuate a narrative that dismisses the severity of this condition.

“They suggest that individuals with coeliac disease and the physical and mental health implications of adhering to a gluten free diet.

I want to make it really clear that my intention was not in any way to to downplay coeliac disease at all

Ravneet GillChef

“Discussions around gluten free diets should promote accurate understanding, respect, and accommodation for dietary needs rather than downplaying their significance.

“We are hopeful that this incident will encourage your team to engage in respectful conversations regarding coeliac disease and its impact on individuals and families.

“We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this matter further and provide accurate information about coeliac disease to ensure a more informed dialogue in future broadcasts.

“We kind request that you consider issuing an apology to people with coeliac disease on air to address the dismissive and inaccurate portrayal of coeliac disease presented in your programme.

“Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.”

Gill said she will try to “think more carefully” before speaking on TV again.

Channel 4 has been approached for comment.

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Vanessa Feltz faced similar backlash after comments she made on This Morning last year.

More than 2,000 complaints were made to Ofcom after saying a caller’s mother-in-law not allowing them to bring their own food to a gluten free Christmas dinner was “completely unreasonable”.

“She’s treating coeliac disease as if it’s a potentially fatal peanut allergy and they can’t have anything with gluten in the house,” Feltz added.

The 61-year-old later apologised on her TalkTV show, saying she was “very sorry”.