Concerns raised as suicide prevention charity Samaritans consults on closure of half of branches

Serious concerns have been raised over reports that suicide prevention charity Samaritans is consulting on plans to close around half of its branches across the UK and Ireland.

This could equate to around 100 of the more than 200 locations it runs, with the charity saying the current operation is “not sustainable”.

Founded in 1953, the charity connects trained volunteers with people who may be struggling.

The organisation estimates that it answers a call for help every 10 seconds and has insisted its volunteers will continue to be available as usual, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

It is understood there is no confirmed number for how many branches or which locations could be shut, but volunteers have been told it is likely to be around half.

Plaid Cymru’s health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor called for an urgent explanation from the Welsh Government on what the closures mean for Wales.

‘Invaluable’

He said: “The work that the Samaritans do day in, day out is invaluable. The news of so many branches closing will be met with disappointment and fear in Wales and across the UK.

“We need urgent explanations from the Welsh Government about what this means for the Wales’ mental health and suicide prevention strategy.

“We must also recognise the invaluable service offered by the Samaritans through the medium of Welsh – a service that we must try to protect.”

‘Improvements’

The organisation is also understood to be considering scaling up other branches or increasing their volunteer capacity, in line with the thinking that fewer but larger branches could mean less resources need to be spent on managing buildings and more spent on delivering and improving its listening service.

The charity’s chief executive Julie 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.

“Samaritans volunteers are hugely dedicated to being there for our callers and they remain at the heart of our service, but it has become increasingly clear that having 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.”

The BBC, which first reported the story, said the charity’s board is expected to meet about the plans in September.

Closures could begin in April in the UK while consultation on potential closures in Ireland could begin in 2027.