Catholic charity volunteers save taxpayers millions

Visits to lonely and isolated people by volunteers from the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) saves the economy in England and Wales at least £11 million a year, according to research by the economic consultancy, Oxera, writes Paul Wilkinson.

Work done each year by the society’s 10,000 supporters helped the people they met improve their mental health, increase their skills and confidence, and enter or re-enter employment. That led to reduced costs to the NHS and national and local government social services, and a better quality of life – both for the beneficiaries and for the volunteers themselves.

Helen O’Shea, a society trustee, said: “We see every day at first hand the benefits of our visits to isolated people, in terms of their emotional and psychological well-being. Now we have confirmation from economists that our visits also have substantial financial benefits as well.”

The society is an international Christian voluntary organisation that has been active in the UK since 1844. Its aim is to tackle poverty and provide practical assistance to individuals and families in need.

Oxera said its work was “a social cost-benefit analysis, rather than a purely financial assessment”. By examining a variety of survey and research material into the costs of supporting various groups, the experts estimated that visits to the 54,000 elderly people seen by SVP volunteers in 2013 saved the NHS £462,000.

Similarly the effect of a visit on the quality of life of a person suffering from depression saved the nation around £2.3 million a year.