Nationwide rolls out initiative to help people with communication difficulties

The Speak Easy initiative is a set of custom-made cards with pictures and phrases and it will be available across Nationwide’s 605 branches.

Nationwide Building Society is rolling out a service across its 605 branches to support customers with communication difficulties.

The Speak Easy initiative is a set of custom-made cards with pictures and phrases that customers can use as a communication tool to help interactions with staff.

The cards could help with banking matters including savings and payments, reporting a lost or stolen card and reporting a suspected fraud or scam.

Phrases on the Speak Easy cards include: “Please speak slowly” and: “I do not recognise a payment on my account.”

One of the cards says: “I think I have been scammed.”

Another card says: “Help me use the cash machine,” while another requests: “I need letters in large font/audio.”

Nationwide worked with charities on the colour-coded cards, including the Stroke Association and the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD).  A panel of people who experience communication difficulties helped to make the initiative accessible.

Cards are coloured red for urgent matters such as scams, green for help such as information about Nationwide’s banking app, and yellow for support requests such as help making payments.

It is estimated that one in five people across the UK will experience communication difficulties, according to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

The initiative could potentially support people including those who are autistic or have speech or cognitive issues, or those affected by Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

The rollout of Nationwide’s initiative branch-wide follows a recent pilot across branches in the Manchester area.

It also follows the announcement of Nationwide’s partnership with Dementia UK to roll out their Admiral Nurses clinics at more than 200 branches.

Mandy Beech, director of retail services at Nationwide, said: “Alongside providing access to British Sign Language interpretation in-branch through our SignVideo service, this offers another option for people to communicate in a way that is accessible for them.”

Caitlin Longman, accessibility lead at the Stroke Association, said: “On average, two-thirds of people experience communication difficulties, or aphasia, soon after a stroke.

“One of the biggest challenges in places like shops, restaurants and banks is that many people don’t know enough about aphasia and how they can help to make communication easier, but the right tools can make all the difference.

“We are thrilled to have worked in partnership with Nationwide on their important Speak Easy scheme. We hope it will provide customers with the appropriate support and guidance and give them confidence when visiting their local branch.”

By Press Association