Nationwide Building Society has become the first major UK banking provider to publish detailed access guides for all 605 of its branches, including locations in Birmingham. The move is part of a broader effort to improve accessibility for disabled customers and sets a new standard for the industry.
Comprehensive Access Information
Produced in collaboration with accessibility experts AccessAble, the guides are now linked from Nationwide’s branch finder. They include information on step-free access, hearing loops, lowered counters, and the availability of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. Over 500 guides are already live, with all 605 expected to be completed by the end of May 2026. Virgin Money has also committed to publishing similar guides for its 91 branches by the end of the year.
Call for Industry-Wide Change
Nationwide is urging all British businesses to follow its lead. The announcement comes as many high-street banks continue large-scale branch closure programmes. Nationwide, however, has pledged to keep all its branches open until at least 2030, emphasizing their continued importance to customers.
Recent research from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC) found that 82% of disabled people cite missing accessibility details as the biggest barrier to assessing a venue’s accessibility, and 79% struggle to judge accessibility in advance. According to Euan’s Guide, a disabled access charity, 70% of disabled visitors return to venues that get accessibility right, and 66% recommend them to others.
Industry Leaders Speak Out
Stephen Noakes, Nationwide’s Director of Retail, said: “The Committee is right to scrutinise how the financial services industry promotes and supports financial inclusion, but other sectors have a role to play too. At Nationwide, we are continuously working to create accessible and inclusive experiences, so everyone has the ability to do their banking with ease and in the way that they choose. While there is no single solution to accessibility, ensuring people can easily find out whether they can enter your premises is about as straightforward as it gets. Start with sharing the facts.”
Dr Gregory Burke, Founder and Executive Chair of AccessAble, commented: “Clear, detailed accessibility information should be regarded as a basic consumer right, giving disabled people the confidence to plan and supporting dignity and independence. Nationwide’s commitment to publish our Detailed Access Guides for every branch is a significant step forward. The important next step for businesses is to ensure, as Nationwide have done, that accessibility information is also accurate, consistent and trustworthy.”
Antonia Lee-Bapty, CEO of Euan’s Guide, added: “Our annual Access Survey consistently shows that a lack of clear access information is one of the biggest barriers for disabled people - not just as customers, but as employees too. We support Nationwide’s call to action for all businesses to publish their accessibility information online – this is about inclusion at its most basic level but there is also a commercial opportunity.”
