Understanding our services

We carry out research to understand the impact our services have and to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our callers.

In 2010, we commissioned an independent two-year study to look at callers’ experiences of using Samaritans services and the impact on their lives. The study helped us understand how and why our service works for the people who need it and how it could be improved.

Key findings:

• Seven in ten people (71%) rated the service as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and said they were very satisfied.
• Eight in ten (84.6%) said they would use the service again.
• Most people felt better immediately after their contact with Samaritans.

We are currently carrying out a caller outcomes study to understand the impact our telephone helpline has on callers, both during the call, and longer-term. The findings from this study will be available next year.

Facing the Future is a partnership between Samaritans and Cruse Bereavement Care. It provides support to people who are bereaved by suicide through weekly group sessions.

The pilot service was evaluated in 2016-17 to measure its effectiveness.

Key findings

• 89% of survey respondents reported feeling emotionally better since attending the sessions
• 77% of survey respondents reported that they felt differently about their bereavement at the end of the sessions
• 49/50 said they would recommend the service to someone else in their situation