Press Release

Nearly six in ten hospices have made or are considering frontline cuts

18 March 2026
Press release

Nearly six in ten English hospices have made or are considering cuts to frontline services, according to new data from Hospice UK*, as financial pressures across the sector continue to intensify.

The findings come from Hospice UK's financial benchmarking report for the quarter ending 31 December 2025, based on a survey of 107 hospices. They come as financial pressures across the sector continue to intensify and a new report finds that the Government must take urgent action to address the financial crisis facing England’s adult hospices. 

Released on Wednesday 18 March, the Public Accounts Committee’s report into the financial sustainability of England’s adult hospices, concludes that ‘there is an urgent need for reform to address the financial challenges that the independent adult hospice sector faces’. The report also focuses on how the Modern Service Framework for palliative and end of life care, due to be published in Autumn, ‘is not good enough when so many hospices are announcing service cuts.’ 

Hospices across the UK have already been forced to take difficult decisions to reduce services, cut staff or scale back support for patients and families. Over 20 hospices have already made cuts to services, or made valued staff redundant, with some reducing inpatient beds, limiting community care or cutting specialist support such as counselling and bereavement services.

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK said: “Hospices are facing a genuine cliff edge as funding fails to keep pace with rapidly rising costs and growing demand. Today’s report by the Public Accounts Committee confirms what we have been saying for some time. The current way in which hospices are funded is not fit for purpose. It is patients who will pay the prices for this unfair model.

“The Government’s plan for a Modern Service Framework to overhaul palliative and end of life care is welcome and the hospice sector will work with them at pace to deliver this. But with nearly six in ten English hospices having made or considering cuts to frontline services the truth is many can’t wait, they need support right now to avoid further reductions in their care.

“We’ve already seen devastating cuts that have shrunk the care hospices can provide. Desperately needed hospice beds are shut as hospices can’t afford to staff them, and specialist community visits in people’s homes are decreasing when they should be going up. This all pushes more pressure back on to an already overloaded system. We must act now to prevent further cuts that affect the care people get at the end of their lives.

“We’re calling on the government to take urgent action through Hospice UK's four-point plan, which includes fully funding the specialist palliative care provided by hospices so they can continue delivering the vital care that patients and families rely on.”

Hospices in England provide essential care for 270,000 people every year in inpatient units, and in people’s homes. Hospice UK previously revealed that 380 beds are out of use in English hospices, up by over 25% since the previous year. Hospices deliver the majority of their care in the community, but specialist community visits to people’s homes are also falling. 

Many hospices have waiting lists, so it’s not a case of lack of demand. Hospices are having to reduce their services due to insufficient funding, preventing them from reaching everyone who needs their care, both in the community and in the hospice building. 

Hospices play a vital role in the wider health system, helping people with life-limiting illnesses receive the care they need both in hospices and in people’s homes. By doing so, they help keep people out of hospital, which eases pressure on the NHS and prevents distressing and often avoidable A&E admissions. But increasing numbers of hospices making cuts mean pressure is only forced back into the system.

Even now, many people are not getting the palliative and end of life care they need. Research from Marie Curie shows that nearly 1 in 3 people who need palliative care miss out on the support they need**. Demand for palliative care is also expected to rise sharply, increasing by around 25% by 2048***.

The current funding model, which relies heavily on charitable fundraising to cover the cost of providing care, is becoming increasingly unsustainable and hospices are being forced to do less when they should be doing more. 

Government funding covers only around 40% of the care that hospices provide. Hospices are facing rapidly rising costs for staffing, energy and everyday essentials, while statutory funding has failed to keep pace. 

As a result, many hospices are having to rely even more on the generosity of their local communities to bridge the gap, which is something that hospice leaders warn is becoming increasingly difficult as their financial pressures worsen.

At the same time, the ongoing debate around the potential Assisted Dying Bill has brought hospice funding into even sharper focus. 

Porter continues: “With assisted dying potentially on the horizon, we must make sure palliative and end of life care is available for everyone who needs it, and right now, end of life care is not where it needs to be. People are dying in corridors, people are dying without pain relief, and lack of funds means hospices are cutting back services when they should be expanding them. 

“High-quality palliative and end of life care must be available to everyone who needs it, and hospices must be properly funded, to be there for everyone who needs them. Right now, with many hospices cutting services, it's a real worry that people might choose assisted dying because they can't get the care they need.”

Hospice UK is calling for full funding of the specialist palliative care delivered by hospices, as part of a four-point plan for fair hospice funding. The first step would be for Government to commit £112.5 million in recurring revenue funding from 2026-27 onwards, as the first step in fully funding the cost of specialist palliative care delivered by hospices, so they can provide their essential care free from financial worry.

Hospices voiced their concerns about the impact of rising financial pressure.

Jeremy Lune, CEO of Prospect Hospice, Swindon says: “At Prospect Hospice we have the physical space to care for more people, but we simply don’t have the funding to open the beds. They are sitting there empty. Financial pressures mean we can only operate six specialist hospice beds, despite growing demand for end-of-life care across Swindon and north-east Wiltshire. 

“Too often, this means people spending precious time in places not designed for end-of-life care, or even in hospital corridors. We have a clear strategic plan to meet the rising needs of our community, but the current funding model does not reflect the scale or urgency of that need. 

“We look forward to working with the Government on long-term funding reform. Alongside our national partners at Hospice UK, we are calling for a fairer, more sustainable funding settlement so hospice care is there for everyone who needs it.

Becca Trower, CEO and Clinical Director of St Raphael’s Hospice, Sutton says: “Eighteen months ago, we were forced to cut a third of our community services at St Raphael’s Hospice because of insufficient NHS funding. This included ceasing our Hospice at Home team completely.  Those reductions have already had real consequences, some patients now receive less support than they need, leading to distress at home or unnecessary hospital admissions.

“Meanwhile, the number of people who rely on our care continues to grow. Without urgent action on funding, our ability to provide timely, effective care for patients will be increasingly compromised and ultimately our sustainability will be in jeopardy.”

Laura Barker, CEO of St Cuthbert’s Hospice, Durham says: “At the heart of hospice care are people: the individuals and families who rely on our support, and the skilled teams who make that care possible. Reducing services and losing valued staff, at a time when the need for palliative and end of life care is growing, has a hugely detrimental impact on the communities we serve. 

“With sustainable funding, hospices can continue to provide the specialist support our communities deserve and contribute to shared system‑wide ambitions. Without it, hospices will continue to face difficult decisions that risk leaving communities without the vital care and support they need”.

Gareth Pierce, Chief Executive at Forget Me Not Children's Hospice, Huddersfield, says: "While the demand for our services continues to grow, rising costs and long‑term underfunding have meant we’ve had to make some incredibly difficult decisions about how we deliver care. In January 2025 we had to make significant cost-savings including reductions in staffing which, inevitably, impacted on some of our frontline services, such as short breaks and respite care, which many families rely on.”

“Despite adapting our model to prioritise the families in greatest need, we’re still unable to do as much as we’d like for the families we support or help more of the families in our community who are facing or living with the loss of their child."

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