Too many people receiving end of life care are dying in Norfolk and Waveney's hospitals when they would rather spend their final days elsewhere, health bosses have said.
Health chiefs said recruitment and training gaps among staff to support people to die in their homes and a shortage of specialist hospice beds in the region was contributing to palliative care patients not always being able to die in their preferred place.
More than 40pc of patients receiving palliative care die in Norfolk's hospitals, with 30pc at home, 25pc in care homes and fewer than 5pc in hospices.
But only 44pc of those who passed away in hospitals had previously stated that was their preferred place to die.
The matter was discussed at a meeting of Norfolk's Health Overview Select Committee - made up of representatives from the county's councils.
Dr Frankie Swords, executive medical director of the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, said: "This is a huge and growing issue. About 1pc of our population dies each year and the people who die are mainly older people with multiple long-term conditions - heart disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and cancer.
"In Norfolk and Waveney, that's about 12,500 deaths. The largest number of those deaths do occur in our hospitals, which we know is frequently not where people, given the choice, would like to receive their end of life care."
She said there was a need to "upskill" the NHS workforce so they could better support people to die at home.
She said some £32.7m was being spent each year on end of life care, but that a review had found "provision is not what we want it to be".
Dr Swords said there was a shortage of specialist palliative care beds, with only 22 in Norfolk, when up to 67 were needed.
She said the findings of the review would be used to work with providers, such as hospices, hospitals and community hospitals to come up with a "completely new model" of commissioning services.
One project which will assist, she said, was a new hospice in Gorleston, to be run by St Elizabeth Hospice.
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