Last year, an average of 16% of people had palliative caring responsibilities in England. This is a decrease of 4% from the year before, and represents a return to pre-pandemic rates, statistics from the Department of Health and Social Care show.
The data visualised by Polimapper, highlighting geographical trends, reveals that the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board saw the highest rate of people with caring responsibilities in 2024, at 18.4%. This was followed by the NHS South Yorkshire ICB (18%) and the NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB (17.8%).
Conversely, all London integrated care boards scored at the bottom of the tables, with South East London (12.5%) and North West London (13.1%) registering the lowest people with caring responsibilities rates across the country.
Additionally, further statistics also show an average of 21% of deaths in 2023 taking place in care homes and another 5% in hospices. Although these numbers have remained stable within recent years, they represent a slight decrease from pre-pandemic levels.
Polimapper’s visualisation shows higher death rates in care homes in the ICBs of Sussex (28.4%) and Devon (26.5%). Deaths in hospices are highest in the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB (9%) and in the NHS Kent and Medway ICB (8.3%). To find out about statistics in your area, explore the map below.
About this map
The map below shows Palliative Care Statistics for 2023 and 2024, by ICB. The data includes rates of people with caring responsibilities.
To view statistics in your area double click on the map or click here to launch the full page version!
Geodata context
Palliative care data from the DHSC comes amidst reports of a funding crisis in the sector. According to Hospice UK, many institutions have had to make tough decisions, which include service cuts and beds being taken out of commission. Out of the total costs supported by hospices, only 30% are government funded, leading to financial constraints.
Although, in December 2024, the DHSC announced a significant investment of £100 million to fund improvements to hospice infrastructure and equipment, concerns remain regarding the lack of consistent funding.
In hopes of a positive change as a result of the government’s NHS 10-year plan, Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospices UK has commented: “The plan must overhaul our approach to palliative and end-of-life care and ensure hospices like St Catherine’s have the sustainable funding they need to support their local communities long into the future,”