Hospice leaders warn hundreds of beds out of use

Hospice leaders have been warning of a financial crisis for much of this year.

They argue that income from the health service has lagged behind rising costs, with some hospices announcing cuts to clinical jobs.

Only about a third of funding comes from the NHS – the rest has to be raised from donations, fundraising and charity shops.

For hospices, which provide both community and in-patient care, there is now increasing concern because of the prospect of higher employer national insurance contributions.

Hospice UK says about 300 beds are closed or out of use in England – out of a total of 2,200 – and the number is increasing.

The organisation has called on the government for £110m of new funding to prevent further cuts over the next year.