St John Scraps Community Services, Cites Strategy Shift

Hospital Volunteers and Pet Therapy Among Affected Programs

Hato Hone St John is dismantling several key community support programs, including its hospital volunteer, community carer, and pet therapy services. The organization attributes the decision to a strategic shift, aiming to maximize its impact with available resources over the next decade.

Strategic Realignment

In a communication to its volunteers, St John outlined the difficult choices being made. The organization stated, “after careful consideration, it will no longer be the provider of these services.” This move is presented as part of a forward-looking strategy, with St John emphasizing that financial pressures are not the driving force behind the changes.

St John is ending a range of community programmes including its hospital volunteers, community carers and pet therapy services. https://t.co/a8z5rYdJzD

— RNZ (@rnz_news) September 29, 2023

Impact on Volunteers and Community

The decision impacts a significant number of volunteers who contribute their time to these essential community functions. The rationale behind the shift is to concentrate St John’s efforts on areas where it can have the “greatest impact.”

In New Zealand, volunteering remains a cornerstone of community support, with Statistics New Zealand data from 2021 indicating that approximately 30% of New Zealanders aged 15 and over engaged in voluntary work for an organisation or group in the past 12 months. St John’s decision marks a notable change in the landscape of such community engagement.

The organization’s focus is now on refining its future operational model. The affected programs will cease to be part of its service provision as it moves forward.