Financial sustainability of adult hospices in England

In 2023, total UK hospice income of £1.8bn comprised around £0.5bn of state funding and the remainder from charitable sources. In 2023-24, many adult hospices reported financial pressures and the threat of needing to cut services by up to 20% unless additional funding was given. An estimated 300 out of 2,200 hospice inpatient beds were … Show more

In 2023, total UK hospice income of £1.8bn comprised around £0.5bn of state funding and the remainder from charitable sources. In 2023-24, many adult hospices reported financial pressures and the threat of needing to cut services by up to 20% unless additional funding was given. An estimated 300 out of 2,200 hospice inpatient beds were lost due to a lack of funding. Government provided in response £100m in capital funding to be distributed across the hospice sector in England, of which £25m was distributed in 2024-25 and the remainder will be distributed in 2025-26. The sustainability of the hospice sector is of national importance, particularly given increasing demand for palliative care due to the UK’s ageing population. It has also been a frequent topic in the public debate concerning assisted dying. The National Audit Office (NAO) reports in 2025 on the financial sustainability of England’s adult hospices . Following the NAO report, the PAC will take evidence from senior DHSC officials and others with likely topics for scrutiny including patients’ access to hospice care, and plans to address financial challenges in the sector. If you have evidence on these issues, please submit here by 23.59 on 18 Deceber 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. You can request anonymity or confidentiality when you send evidence, but it is the Committee which decides what information to publish and how. It may treat submissions confidentially, even where you have not requested this. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less