A report out this morning says that Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England do not clearly understand what proportion of palliative and end-of-life care is delivered by independent adult hospices.
They therefore are unclear how much they are reliant on the sector, or what the real impact of government funding is.
The report from the National Audit Office finds that nearly two thirds of adult hospices reported a financial deficit in 2023-24, with combined income from fundraising and government funding in decline.
The financial resilience of the independent adult hospice sector faces further challenges due to the declining return on investment from fundraising. A continuation of this downward trend could lead to increased reliance on government funding to provide palliative and end-of-life services
Meanwhile demand for hospice care is also projected to rise, placing further pressure on adult hospices, some of which are already reducing the services they can provide.
“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.” says NAO head Gareth Davis
