Samaritans has announced plans to close at least half of its 200 branches across Ireland and the UK, move volunteers into larger regional hubs and pilot remote call handling, in a shake-up that has left some volunteers dismayed.
The mental health charity told volunteers in a video last week it hoped “within the next seven to 10 years, our branch network will have reduced by at least half” and that it would move to “fewer but bigger regions”.
The Irish Times understands no branch has yet been earmarked for closure. Samaritans said these are long-term proposals with the aim of increasing productivity while reducing “bricks and mortar” costs.
It said the phone line will remain operational throughout any structural changes within the charity, which can be reached by calling 116 123.
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Samaritans operates 16 branches in the Republic of Ireland, and eight in the North, with around 1,500 volunteers across the island. This is a significantly smaller operation than its UK counterpart, which has more than 23,000 active volunteers.
The organisation said it will engage with volunteers in the coming months on these plans; volunteers “remain at the heart of our service,” said chief executive Julie Bentley.
The charity’s 22,000 listening volunteers answer calls and messages from people in mental health crisis at 201 branches across Ireland and Britain. It says its helplines receive a call every 10 seconds, while some branches also offer face-to-face services.
Ms Bentley told volunteers that much of its fundraising income was going into “maintaining bricks and mortar, rather than being used to improve our services”.
The charity wants a “smaller number of larger brick branches” meaning “larger shifts open with more volunteers on duty together”.
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It also said it wanted to make sure its buildings and shifts were “accessible to all” and hoped its “volunteer numbers will have increased as we offer more flexibility”, adding that it had no plans to reduce the level of service it offered.
Some volunteers have expressed fears the charity is moving to a “call centre-style” model that would remove the “camaraderie” found in smaller branches. There were also concerns that volunteers, many of whom are over 50, would be unable to travel large distances to branches in large towns and cities.
They also raised concerns about the impact of a potential move towards remote volunteering, in which people would answer calls in their homes while in contact with another volunteer via video call. Some said they would feel uncomfortable taking distressing and sensitive calls at home.
One volunteer said: “It does change the absolute basis of how we have worked and the understanding of our need to be in a safe place where we have support as callers. Would the ambulance service suddenly decide to have people take calls in their home?
“The current system has operated very successfully for 70 years. Now they’re thinking of dismantling it, and in a way that I think has upset a lot of volunteers. A lot of us are anxious and worried.
“Almost every single volunteer that I have spoken to has said if they introduce call centres, we’re out. As well as helping others, people volunteer for their own mental health, to go to a safe space and meet like-minded people.”
The charity said remote volunteering would allow people unable to travel to branches to give their time, particularly for night shifts that are more challenging to fill.
Samaritans said it would consult volunteers about its plans before the trustees made a final decision in September, and any proposed changes that are confirmed will take place over a number of years.
Volunteers said they wanted clarity on how much money the charity spends on branches, and how much it was projected to save by closing half down.
The Samaritans’ annual accounts for 2023-24 show it has a fund of £7 million (€8 million) for fixed assets including branches, a property maintenance fund of £28,000 and a branch support fund of £287,000, while it received £24.6m in charitable income.
In its last set of financial accounts, the charity said its “income was down for the third year running, while costs continue to rise”, and it had been forced to stop or postpone projects due to lack of funding.
In a statement, Ms Bentley said: “Samaritans provides a life-saving service, day and night, 365 days a year, but the changing needs of our callers and volunteers means thinking differently about the way our services need to work.
“We are engaging with our volunteers on proposed improvements that will mean we are able to answer more calls, have more volunteers on duty and be there for more people in their darkest moments. Over 200 branches, varying in size from 10 to 300 volunteers, is not sustainable and hinders us providing the best possible service to people who need us.” − Additional reporting, Guardian
