What hospice care is, where it happens, how to get it and what it costs.
This is general guidance for England. It is not about any one provider, and it is not medical, legal or financial advice. Every statement below comes from the official pages listed under “Official guidance”, checked on 4 October 2026.
What does hospice care cost?
- Free
- Hospice care is free for patients and their families. Hospices are charities, funded mostly by donations with some NHS funding.
Some hospices also offer services to the public, such as counselling or complementary therapy, which may carry a charge.
Hospice care
- It is free
- Hospice care is free, paid for through a combination of NHS funding and public donation.
- Not only for the last days
- A hospice palliative care team might help control symptoms such as pain or breathlessness early on in an illness.
- Where it happens
- Hospice care can be provided at home, in a care home, or to a day patient visiting the hospice.
- How to get it
- You can contact a hospice directly yourself, but the team will usually also ask for a referral from your doctor or nurse.
Official guidance
NHS – Hospice careNHS: end of life care
Rules and charges change, usually each April. Check the official pages before you rely on a figure.
Find and compare services
Compare
More guides
- Paying for a care home
- Paying for care at home
- Supported living: what it is and who pays
- GP surgeries: registering and what it costs
- What a dentist costs
- Hospital care: costs and your rights
- Using and paying for private healthcare
- Getting and paying for mental health care
- What NHS services cost
- Using an urgent treatment centre
- Getting help for a drug problem
- NHS Right to Choose for ADHD and autism assessments
- What CQC ratings mean
