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Charity-Dependent Hospices Fail to Meet Surging Demand for End-of-Life Care
10 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Two-thirds of adult hospices in England recorded a deficit in 2023-24
- Hospices forced to cut staff, reduce beds, and slash community services
- Palliative care quality depends on location and NHS funding priorities
In the UK as of November 2025, the hospice sector is facing a severe financial crisis that is compromising the quality of end-of-life care for thousands of patients. According to a recent National Audit Office report, two-thirds of adult hospices in England recorded a deficit in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Across the country, hospices are being forced to make difficult decisions, cutting staff, reducing bed numbers, and slashing community services for dying people who wish to be cared for at home. This has created a "postcode lottery" of palliative care, where a patient's chances of receiving high-quality end-of-life support hinge on factors like the level of deprivation in their local area and the extent to which their NHS management prioritizes terminally ill patients.
