Hospices forced to make cuts to care head to Downing Street to demand fair funding

Hospice staff from across England will gather in Westminster on 15th April to demand urgent action on funding, as services are cut and pressures reach breaking point. 

Staff members, including nurses and leaders from hospices that have already been forced to make devastating reductions to services and staff redundancies will deliver a letter to the Prime Minister and meet MPs, to inform them of the reality of the crisis and calling for fair, sustainable funding. 

The intervention comes as nearly 60% of hospices in England have already made, or are planning, cuts to frontline services this year. Financial pressures have forced many to make valued staff redundant, while 380 hospice beds lie unused, primarily because hospices cannot afford the staff to run them. At the same time, specialist community visits have fallen by 150,000 in a year, despite rising demand. 

Hospices are increasingly being left to plug widening funding gaps through charitable fundraising - an approach that is simply unsustainable. Hospice leaders warn that without urgent support, more services will be lost, and more people will miss out on vital end of life care. 

Charlie King, Director of External Affairs at Hospice UK, said: “On 15th April, hospice staff from across the country will come together in Westminster to send a clear message to Government: the current funding model is failing, and patients are paying the price. 

“Behind this moment is a stark reality: nearly 60% of hospices are cutting frontline services. These aren’t abstract figures - they translate into fewer people receiving the care they need at the end of life, and mounting pressure on an already overstretched NHS. We must act now to prevent further cuts to the care that people need at the end of their lives. 

“The Government’s commitment to a Modern Service Framework for palliative and end of life care is welcome, and the sector stands ready to help deliver it. But many hospices cannot wait. They need urgent, sustainable funding now to prevent further cuts. 

“We’re calling on the Government to act now by implementing Hospice UK’s four-point plan for fair funding, including fully funding the specialist palliative care we provide. A commitment of £112.5 million in additional recurring revenue funding would be a vital first step, preventing further devastating cuts and enabling hospices to continue delivering the care that patients and families rely on.”

This letter was delivered to Downing Street and was signed by over 25 hospices.