National Audit Office: The financial sustainability of England’s adult hospice sector (29 October 2025)

Summary

Independent hospices are charities that provide palliative and end-of-life care to local communities across the UK. They are key partners in the local and national health and care systems, led by the NHS, that provide such care. In 2023-24, the independent adult hospice sector provided around 251,000 people with palliative and end-of-life care, including approximately 1,227,000 community visits and support to around 69,000 family members, friends and carers of patients.

This report examines the independent adult hospice sector in England, with a focus on:

• the distribution of hospices across England;
• trends in hospices’ funding, spend and delivery of services; and
• financial challenges across the sector.