Day: June 5, 2026

Nationwide installs defibrillators and bleed control kits at all 605 branches to support British highstreets

  • Nationwide is the first banking provider to roll out public access defibrillators and bleed control kits across all branches1 – as it becomes Britain’s biggest branch network
  • All 605 Nationwide branches to have a defibrillator and a bleed control kit installed by end of the year
  • Life-saving training for Nationwide colleagues and communities across the UK run by St John Ambulance
  • 87% of people would feel safer with local life-saving equipment: 97% state importance of free, life-saving first aid sessions
  • Forms part of Nationwide’s commitment to High Street and follows promise to keep all branches open until at least 2030

Nationwide is installing life-saving defibrillators and bleed control kits across its 605 branches, while rolling out life-saving first aid sessions in Britain’s local communities.

In what is thought to be the UK’s largest-ever combined rollout, the initiative builds on Nationwide’s long-term commitment to communities.

Britain’s biggest building society, which now has more branches than any other banking provider after overtaking Lloyds Banking Group, has promised to keep all branches open until at least 2030. The rollout, which will see the kits installed from now until the end of the year, is being done in partnership with Visa, with St John Ambulance working alongside Nationwide to offer life-saving training for colleagues and local communities.

The importance of having life-saving equipment readily available locally for emergency services to deploy if needed – and the crucial role the public can play – is made clear by the facts: without first aid intervention, a severe bleed or cardiac arrest can lead to death within minutes.

Severe bleeding remains a leading cause of death after traumatic injury in the UK, with knife- or sharp instrument-related offences totalling around 53,000 in 2024/20252. And of the 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the country each year, fewer than one in 10 people are estimated to survive3.

Yet, if a patient is defibrillated within three to five minutes of collapse, survival rates increase by up to 70 per cent4.

A national poll of over 2,000 people conducted by Nationwide highlights the gap in emergency support within communities:

  • 87% of people would feel safer knowing there is life-saving equipment available in their local area.
  • 88% say life-saving equipment should be as common as fire extinguishers in public – just 27% know the location of their nearest defibrillator and 9% their nearest bleed kit.
  • 89% of people specifically want more public access to bleed control kits due to the rise in knife crime.
  • 56% would find it easier to remember equipment locations when associated with a well-known brand.
  • 97% believe it’s important to have life-saving first aid training available for free in their local area, with over three quarters (77%) of people saying they would attend nearby free sessions.

Despite the need and support for life-saving equipment, there is a gap around public confidence in using resources. More than one in four (27%) wouldn’t feel confident stopping a severe bleed, while 31 per cent wouldn’t feel confident using a defibrillator. Despite the need for urgent intervention, 42 per cent wouldn’t step in for fear of making the situation worse. It is perhaps why over half (51%) don’t believe a stranger would come to their aid in a health emergency.

The lack of confidence is most prevalent among younger people – 18-24-year-olds are more than twice as likely than over-55s (10% vs 4%) to panic in a life-threatening health emergency.

To help build public confidence, Nationwide is working with St John Ambulance to roll out volunteer-led training in life-saving skills. This opportunity will be offered to 4,000 branch colleagues before expanding into ‘Heart of Community’ sessions, giving local people the knowledge and confidence to carry out CPR, use defibrillators and understand how to treat a severe bleed in an emergency.

Amanda Beech, Nationwide’s Director of Retail Services, said: “Nationwide’s unique reach as the UK’s largest branch network gives us the ability to put life-saving equipment where it matters most – in places people already know and trust in their communities.

“By transforming our branches into visible, emergency hubs, we’re making it easier to access help when every second counts.

“Crucially we’re also offering training to all our branch colleagues, before extending that training into the communities we serve. We want more people to feel prepared, confident and ready to act when it matters most.”

St John Ambulance Chief Medical Officer, Professor Andrew Hartle, said: “We’re so pleased to work with Nationwide and Visa on this project, which so perfectly meets St John Ambulance’s mission to put the power of first aid into everyone’s hands.

“With hundreds more public access defibrillators and bleed control kits across the UK, and thousands more people confident to use them, I am confident many more lives will be saved in our communities.”

The kits will be available 24/7 unless within a shopping centre and can be accessed by the public as directed by 999. For more information on where our branches are located visit Nationwide Branch Finder.

So far defibrillators and bleed control kits have been installed across nine Nationwide branches: Tooting, Peacehaven, Seaford, Eastbourne, East Ham, West Wickham, Maidstone, Northampton Kingsthorpe, and Redhill.

Investigation into residential property arrangements with members of the Royal Family

Royal Family property arrangements vary according to requirements and provider   

  • Seven members of the Royal Family occupy five properties leased from The Crown Estate – the lease terms vary, reflecting factors including upfront premium payments, refurbishment costs and early surrender clauses. 
  • The Royal Household provides eleven working members of the Royal Family with seven residences within the occupied royal palaces at no cost in exchange for their official duties. 
  • Three properties in the occupied royal palaces are rented to non-working Royals – the Household’s policy is to charge an adjusted rent of typically 60% of the open market value. These three rents are currently paid by the Privy Purse.

The rent and lease arrangements for members of the Royal Family differ depending on why the accommodation is required and whether the property is managed by The Crown Estate (TCE) or The Royal Household (the Household), according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.

Seven members of the Royal Family occupy five properties leased from TCE. Of these, three properties are leased under the names of individual Royals, one is leased to a company, and the other is co-leased to a Royal and a trust.

Two additional properties are leased to members of the Royal Family for use by their staff.

TCE has established processes for agreeing leases,5 which include seeking independent valuation advice. It uses this information to negotiate final lease terms, which vary depending on the circumstances of each individual property and market conditions.

The differences in lease terms include the value of upfront premium payments; subletting rights; the assignability of leases; refurbishment and renovation costs; and early surrender clauses.

The leases on Royal Lodge, Bagshot Park and Thatched House Lodge have sub-letting provisions. In the case of Royal Lodge, three cottages on the estate were sublet with income generated payable to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. These properties have been vacant since April 2026.

The Royal Lodge lease has an early surrender clause and possible compensation. This means Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who requested early surrender of the property’s lease on 30 October 2025, could be entitled to compensation payment of £301,967.66, assuming the full 12-month notice period is served anddepending on dilapidation costs at handover which, at the time of publication, had not yet been assessed.7

The Household, which manages the land and buildings in the occupied royal palaces, has policies setting out the amount of rent payable for use of space and facilities within the estate. In 2024-25, it generated £3.6 million in rental income by charging for non-official use of residential properties.

The rent due depends on factors including the tenant’s role within the Royal Family or Household, whether the accommodation is required for official duties, and whether it is within a secure location.

Eleven members of the Royal Family have seven residences within St James’s Palace and Kensington Palace and use these at no cost in exchange for carrying out official duties.

Three properties in the occupied royal palaces are rented to non-working members of the Royal Family. In these instances, Household policy is to charge an adjusted rent of typically 60% of the open market value. However, this policy has not always been strictly followed. These three rents are currently paid by the Privy Purse.

The Household also generates income from a further 145 properties used by its staff, who are required to live within occupied royal palaces and contribute a proportion of their salaries towards accommodation costs. In 2025-26, this was 16.7% of gross pensionable salary.

The Monarch is permitted to move properties between TCE and the Household through three legislative acts, often referred to as ‘grace and favour’ arrangements. Contrary to the commonly held definition, these properties are not provided free of charge to those occupying them. Instead, charges for occupying these properties vary depending on several factors, including who the tenant is and the role they perform.

Currently, the Household manages 52 ‘grace and favour’ properties that were previously part of TCE – typically flats and cottages located in Windsor used by Household staff and pensioners.

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