One in three people in need of palliative care miss out on support as a deepening hospice cash crisis forces many to cut services, new figures show. Surging costs and insufficient funding have led to a sharp drop in specialist home visits across Britain.
Home visits fall by more than 20%
Analysis shows medics made 590,000 home visits across Britain in 2024/25 to deliver specialised medical care for those with serious illnesses – down more than 20% on the 740,000 the previous year. Hospice UK says the figures are a worrying sign that insufficient funding means increasing numbers who need care may miss out.
Hospice funding relies heavily on voluntary charitable donations, with taxpayers covering only about 40% of adult hospice running costs. The rest is raised through fundraising, shops, and legacies. An ageing population coupled with a rise in death rates means the hospice funding model is no longer fit for purpose, according to experts.
Hospices under financial strain
Hospices in the UK provide care for around 310,000 people each year – sometimes in inpatient units, but more often in people's homes, including highly specialist palliative and end of life care. They also provide direct support, including bereavement support to tens of thousands of families and loved ones.
Figures show that in the 2023/24 financial year 57% of hospices in England ended in deficit. That leapt to 70% in 2024/25 and 75% in 2025/26. Demand for palliative care is increasing because more people are living longer with complex, life-limiting conditions, while the UK's ageing population means more people are dying each year. By 2040, around 130,000 more people are expected to die annually in the UK than in 2023.
Funding plea and frontline cuts
Hospice UK wants the Government to commit £112.5m in recurring funding this year as part of the £450m needed to fully fund hospice-delivered specialist palliative care. Without fair and sustainable funding, hospices are forced to make difficult decisions about the care they provide. Across England, nearly six in 10 hospices have already made, or are considering, cuts to frontline services.
Hospice UK says that as many as 90% of people who die could benefit from palliative care, yet nearly one in three people who need it currently miss out. The organisation's four-point plan calls for specialist palliative care to be fully funded by local NHS commissioners, funding to cover NHS pay rises for hospice staff, proper NHS contracts that increase in line with rising costs, and Government action to guarantee fair, consistent provision across the country.
Jo Carby, Chief Executive of Wigan & Leigh Hospice, said: "Too often, people think hospice care is only about the final days of life, but that is just one part of the support we provide. We help people live as well as possible with a life-limiting illness through specialist nursing care, support in their own homes, wellbeing services, counselling, and practical and emotional support for families and loved ones."
