In England, about 380 of the 2,000 palliative care beds are empty due to financial pressures, according to employers.
Hospice UK told BBC News this is up from 300 a year ago and illustrates the serious challenges facing the sector.
Beds are left empty to save money, as staff and care are expensive, making them unavailable to patients.
Hospices are run by charities and raise between two-thirds and three-quarters of their income from donations and private fundraising. They rely on the rest of the NHS, and bosses say this funding has not kept pace with costs such as employers’ national insurance.
Hospice leaders say their organizations are “on the verge of a financial crisis.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government had already invested £100 million to improve palliative care facilities and had committed £80 million to children and young people’s hospices over three years.
“We recognize there is more to do and are exploring how we can improve access, quality and sustainability of palliative care for all ages and end-of-life care in line with the Ten-Year Health Plan,” a spokesperson added.
Hospice UK says five of its members have announced “cost reductions” or cuts since the beginning of October. In some cases jobs are being lost.
One of them is Ashgate Hospice in Derbyshire, which has warned staff that 52 people are at risk of being made redundant. The number of beds is also being reduced (from 15 to six) and the proposals would mean 600 fewer patients would be cared for each year.
The hospice has blamed energy bills and rising staff salaries on NHS funding not matching the increases.
Meanwhile, Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge says a cut in NHS funding will mean inpatient beds will be reduced from 21 to 12, which it described as “a devastating decision”.
Garden House Hospice Care in Hertfordshire has announced what it calls “the most serious financial challenge in its history” and launched a consultation process that may lead to more than 20 redundancies.
Charlie King, director of external affairs at Hospice UK, said: “The financial situation facing hospices is unsustainable, with even more beds out of use this year than last year.
“We know that many hospices have waiting lists and demand for end-of-life care is increasing, so it is not a case of lack of demand. Hospices desperately want to reach everyone who needs it, but financial pressure is holding them back.”
King argued that a review of palliative care funding was needed because ministers were pushing for more care to be moved from hospitals to the community. He added that with assisted dying potentially on the horizon, well-funded end-of-life care would be a vital safeguard.
Ministers this year unveiled an emergency funding plan with £100 million available for hospices in England. But the money was specifically earmarked for capital expenditures to improve buildings and facilities and not for day-to-day operating expenses. Funding for the next few years of adult hospices has yet to be announced, although the government has drawn up an £80 million three-year plan for children’s hospices.
