Hundreds of hospice beds and staff cut in England amid funding crisis

Hospices in England are cutting hundreds of beds and staff because of a funding crisis, despite a sharp rise in demand for palliative care, a damning report warns.

People needing end of life care faced a postcode lottery because access to services was so patchy, the National Audit Office (NAO) reported.

A lack of government oversight meant ministers were unaware of how reliant they were on independent hospices, its 52-page report found.

The NAO said nearly two-thirds of independent hospices in England reported a deficit in 2023-24. Overall expenditure was £78m more than income generated.

As a result, services have been slashed and hospices forced to cut the number of beds available for dying people and those with life-limiting conditions. At the end of 2024, about 300 inpatient beds were “deregistered or withdrawn from operation”, the report found, though some could have been because of a preference for being cared for at home.

Hospices have been forced to cut back on staff, the NAO added, despite the fact that demand for palliative care was increasing.

The NAO highlighted “variation” in where hospices were situated across England, owing to the “unplanned way” they have developed over the past few decades.

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “Independent hospices play a key role in providing palliative and end of life care and provide choice for people at the end of their lives.

“With many more people expected to want hospice care in the future, it is crucial that the sector is financially resilient. DHSC and NHSE should assess how they would meet increased demand for palliative and end of life care should services delivered by independent adult hospices be insufficient.”

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Source: The Guardian, 20 October 2025