Two thirds of Scottish hospices making cuts within the next year

Hospice UK says this reflects severe and unsustainable financial pressures across the hospice sector in Scotland at a time when demand for palliative care is at an all-time high. Hospices have had to make redundancies to both clinical and back-office staff, cut beds and reduce vital community services. They are struggling to keep pace with rising costs, leaving people at risk of missing out on vital care at the end of life.

Helen Malo, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Scotland at Hospice UKsaid:

“Hospices are an essential part of Scotland’s health and care system, easing pressure on the NHS by helping people stay out of hospital and receive expert care in their own communities. These are the services that should be growing to meet rising demand.

“But years of underfunding have left them stretched to breaking point, with many now being forced to cut services at a time when they’re needed more than ever. Without urgent action, more families will face the end of life without the expert care and compassion they deserve.”

The figures come as MPs debate amendments to the assisted dying bill today (Tuesday 25 November) including Jackie Baillie’s amendments to assess and mitigate the impact of the Bill on palliative care and create a code of practice for palliative care providers. These amendments are vital to support hospices and the palliative care sector to be robustly prepared should the Bill become law and to ensure assisted dying is not introduced at the expense of existing palliative and end of life care services.

Helen Malo said: “Hospice UK has no collective view on whether the law should change on assisted dying, yet we feel it would be a moral and practical failure if a single person in future felt compelled to seek an assisted death due to a lack of available palliative care. Every person in Scotland should be able to access high-quality care and support at the end of life, wherever they live.”

With the Scottish Budget approaching, Hospice UK is urging the Scottish Government to include dedicated funding for hospices in the 2026/27 budget to protect vital care and support.

Looking ahead to the Holyrood elections, we’re also calling on the next Scottish Government to make palliative and hospice care a national priority and commit to a long-term plan to reform and invest in palliative and end of life care.

Jackie Stone, CEO, St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:

“Demand for hospice care is rising year after year, yet the funding we rely on continues to fall behind. Hospices are being asked to deliver more complex care for more people, but with resources that are already stretched to breaking point. That gap is simply not sustainable.

“Hospice care is not optional; it is a vital part of Scotland’s healthcare system. We need the Scottish Government to recognise the essential role hospices play and to commit to fair, sustainable funding, so that every family can rely on the care and compassion they deserve when it matters most.”

Jacki Smart, Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group, said:

“Without secure, long-term funding, hospices across Scotland are facing devastating choices – cutting back services, reducing staff, or even turning patients away for the first time. These hospices care for thousands of people every year, offering comfort and dignity at life’s most difficult moments.

“If funding falls short, families will lose vital support, and pressure on the NHS will grow. Hospices are a lifeline for communities, and we need urgent action to protect them.”

Hospice UK says that with the right investment, hospices stand ready to help the Scottish Government deliver its long-term ambition to shift more care into communities, providing expert, person-centred care closer to home.

Palliative care can’t wait. The next Scottish Government must take decisive action to make palliative care a national priority and secure the vital contribution of hospice care by:

Scotland’s next parliament must confront a society-defining challenge: how to deliver not just the best start in life, but the best care at the end of life.

Scotland is facing a demographic crisis. As our population ages, demand for palliative care is soaring – but our health and care system is failing. Too many Scots, of all ages, are dying without the support they need. And too many are spending their final weeks in hospital beds – not because they need to be there, but because the system gives them no other choice.

The future of palliative care requires transformation, not tweaks. Without urgent action, rising demand will mean overfull wards, more delays and more patients stuck in hospital. All of this will drive up the cost to the public purse – and let down those who need care the most.

Hospice care supports adults and children to stay at home, reducing hospital stays. It eases pressure on the NHS and saves money. The majority of hospice care is delivered in people’s own homes. These services could – and should – be growing to meet rising demand. But in fact they’re shrinking. Surging costs and insufficient statutory funding mean hospice care is on the brink. Hospice care is vital and Scotland cannot afford to let it fail.

The assisted dying debate has exposed deep inequities in access to palliative care across Scotland. Regardless of the outcome of the current bill, investing in hospice and palliative care isn’t optional: it is critical to ensure choice, dignity and compassion at the end of life.

Palliative care is at a cross-roads. There is only one chance to get care right when someone is dying. If we truly believe in dignity, compassion and fairness at the end of life, then palliative care must become a national priority.

Anything less is letting down those who need us most, when they need us most.