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Impact

Measuring the impact of practical bereavement support.

Our evidence comes from the independently evaluated first phase of our Liverpool pilot. Every figure on this page refers to that pilot only.

Liverpool: connecting funeral choice, administration and support

Partners
Liverpool City Council; Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; PHRENETECH Ltd / Funeral Experts
Relationship
Collaborative city-scale pilot, delivered without a fee to the council or NHS
Launched
May 2024, extended into a longer-term working arrangement
Evaluation
Independent evaluation by researchers at Anglia Ruskin University of the first phase (May 2024 to August 2025)

In Liverpool, the evaluated service did more than help people compare funeral prices. Advisers supported families with the practical and financial responsibilities following death, helping people access entitlements, navigate administration and understand funeral options.

The experience also demonstrated a crucial implementation lesson: passive signposting limits access, and well-governed active referral pathways are important for reaching more people.

Evaluated outcomes: Liverpool pilot, first phase

149
bereaved people supported

Personalised telephone support in the Liverpool pilot's first evaluated phase (May 2024 to August 2025).

~£900
average saving on attended funerals

Compared with the prices first quoted to clients, among cases where a funeral was attended; not an average across everyone supported. Direct cremation savings averaged around £300.

£105,671
in one-off payments secured

Lump-sum entitlements secured for people supported in the first evaluated phase.

£129,632
in new annual income secured

Recurring income per year, recorded at the time of evaluation; several benefit claims were still pending. Not added to the one-off figure because the time periods differ.

Source: "Beyond the Cost of Dying" (August 2025), independent evaluation report by Dr Franziska Sohns and Peter MacDonald of Anglia Ruskin University, based on analysis of Funeral Experts service data.

Who the pilot supported

  • 64%

    were not in paid employment at the point of referral

  • 49%

    lived in social housing

  • 47%

    lived alone without children

  • 99%

    received help beyond funeral price comparison

Of the people supported in the Liverpool pilot. Same source as above.

Method, cohort and caveats

  • The figures describe the first evaluated phase of the Liverpool pilot only.
  • The evaluation analysed service data provided by Funeral Experts; it did not collect new data from families.
  • The average funeral saving applies to cases where a funeral was attended, compared with the prices first quoted, not to everyone supported.
  • The results are not generalised to a wider population, and not all benefits are attributed solely to Funeral Experts. Any wider cost savings are hypotheses for further testing, not confirmed impacts.
  • Outcomes from other partnerships are reported separately once they have been measured and approved for publication.

Evaluation built into commissioning

We can agree outcome measures and reporting with commissioners from the start of a partnership, so results can be evaluated jointly.

Discuss evaluation with our team