Scottish hospices are stretched to the brink, says charity

Hospices have called for additional funding from the Scottish government as they face an "unprecedented" collective deficit of £16m.

Hospice UK wants additional funding support to be announced in the Scottish budget on Tuesday.

The charity has said "spiralling" staff costs due to NHS pay increases as well as rising running costs are stretching hospices "to the brink".

The Scottish government said it strives to support hospices where possible.

• Cutting hospice beds to help people die at home

• The hospice struggling with the true cost of living

Hospice UK said the sector provides care and support to around 21,000 children and adults in Scotland a year.

It said that on average, two-thirds of hospice income comes from fundraising.

But it fears the cost-of-living crisis may lead to a significant dip in donations while demand for palliative care is predicted to rise by a fifth by 2040.

Helen Malo, Scotland manager at Hospice UK, said: "Hospices need urgent support to ensure they can continue delivering high-quality care for people at the end of life - without worrying about how to pay their hard-working staff a fair wage."

The Scottish government spokesperson said it would continue to work to support longer-term sustainable planning and commissioning for the sector.

A spokesperson said: "The financial position across Scottish Government is extremely challenging and work is ongoing to identify measures to address the continued challenges in 2023-24 and beyond."