Scottish hospices at ‘breaking point’ with two-thirds making cuts

Two thirds of Scottish hospices have either made cuts or are planning to in the next year as underfunding has left them “stretched to breaking point”, according to new analysis.

A Hospice UK survey of 14 hospice organisations in Scotland this month found that seven of the 13 which responded said they have have already made cuts, while three have said they will make cuts in 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.

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

Helen Malo, senior policy and public affairs manager for Scotland at Hospice UK, said: “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.”

Hospice UK said that hospices in Scotland have had to make redundancies to both clinical and back-office staff, cut beds and reduce vital community services.

It said they are struggling to keep pace with rising costs, leaving people at risk of missing out on vital care at the end of life.

Jacki Smart, chairperson 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.”

The analysis comes as MSPs are due to debate amendments to the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at Holyrood on Tuesday at the Health Committee.

Holyrood approved the general principles of Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur’s Bill in a landmark vote earlier this year.

The Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee has begun its scrutiny of hundreds of proposed amendments to the legislation, such as Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame 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.

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.”

Looking ahead to the Holyrood elections, Hospice UK is 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.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures hospices are facing and we greatly value the essential palliative care services delivered by hard-working staff.

“That is why we provided funding this year to ensure hospices can deliver pay parity with NHS staff.

“We will continue to engage closely with the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group to understand what more can be done to support palliative care services in Scotland.

“It remains the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to commission palliative care services, including independent hospices, to meet the needs of their local communities.

“As such, we expect Scottish hospices and IJBs to continue to engage on any matters that may impact on the delivery of local palliative care services.”