Fifth of UK hospices cutting services amid funding crisis, finds report

Sector says too many people dying in avoidable pain', with soaring numbers being pushed back into the NHS

One in five hospices in the UK are cutting services amid the worst funding crisis in two decades, a report has warned, with soaring numbers of patients being pushed back into the NHS.

Research by Hospice UK found small and wildly varying" state funding had failed to keep pace with growing demand and rising running costs.