Overview
- The rollout is already under way, with nine branches fitted so far and Nationwide publishing a month-by-month installation list for June, July and August to cover hundreds more sites.
- St John Ambulance will deliver first‑aid training for branch staff and community sessions, with Nationwide planning to equip up to 4,000 employees with CPR, defibrillator and bleed‑control skills.
- Kits will be fixed in locked external cabinets intended for 24/7 public access except where branches are inside shopping centres, and use is to be coordinated with emergency services when callers dial 999.
- Nationwide frames the move as a public‑health measure tied to national figures — about 40,000 out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrests a year with under 10% survival and high levels of traumatic bleeding — and as part of its pledge to keep branches open to 2030.
- Local councils may be consulted where cabinets affect conservation areas and planning applications are already appearing, and the programme could broaden access to emergency kit and first‑aid skills across communities as installations continue through 2026.