Samaritans is pushing ahead with proposals to close half of its 200 branches across the country despite concerns raised by some volunteers, the mental health charity announced this week.
The 70-year-old charity plans to set up three-year regional projects co-created with volunteers, which it says will include branch closures and mergers, in an effort to make the organisation fit for the future.
It plans to use three pilots in south east England, Yorkshire and Humberside, and Scotland which will result in “the scaling up, mergers and regrettably closures of some branches”.
“The learnings will then shape next steps in the rest of the UK but this will not be before the end of 2028,” the charity said.
Aim to increase calls answered
Initial proposals in July estimated that about 100 branches would close, triggering widespread backlash from volunteers concerned the charity would lose its local connections.
Samaritans has argued that these changes will improve services by enabling more calls to be answered, shortening call waits and attracting a wider base of volunteers.
The charity wants to raise the number of calls answered to 90% from current levels of between 70 and 80%.
It previously denied that a branch closure in Kent was part of the wider plan to close half of its sites nationwide.
Volunteers have said that branch closures will result in hundreds of volunteers quitting because they would not be able to travel or would not enjoy volunteering without the local connections.
A volunteer for Samaritans told Civil Society in August that they were “incredibly concerned” about the national closures and disputed the charity’s claim that the changes would improve the quality of the service.
Samaritans previously confirmed in July that the decision to close branches is because its current model is “not sustainable”.
It has recorded three successive operating deficits, including an income of £24.6m and expenditure of £25.9m in the year to March 2024, but the charity has said it is not aiming to save money or reduce its more than 300 paid staff through the branch closures.
Commenting on the latest push for closures, Samaritans chief executive Julie Bentley said: “Although making these changes will be challenging for us, it is a challenge we are determined to face into.
“The plans we announce today will help us be here for more people who need our support, in the moment they need us the most.”
