A life-saving bleed control kit and public access defibrillator are set to be installed outside Nationwide’s Ryde branch as part of a national rollout across all 605 branches.
Listed Building Consent has been sought for the installation at Nationwide’s branch in St Thomas Square, at the top of Union Street, with both units to be mounted externally so they can be accessed in an emergency.
The plans form part of a major initiative by Nationwide Building Society to provide defibrillators and bleed control kits at every one of its branches by the end of the year, making it the first banking provider to carry out such a scheme across its entire network.
Supporting documents submitted with the application to the Isle of Wight Council state that the equipment is intended to provide rapid, 24/7 access to potentially life-saving resources for local communities. Each unit will be housed within its own secure cabinet mounted to the exterior wall of the branch.
The Ryde branch occupies a Grade II listed building dating from around 1840. A heritage assessment submitted with the application says the cabinets would be positioned on unused space within the modern ground floor shopfront and would have little impact on the building’s character.
Nationwide says the benefits of providing the emergency equipment outweigh any limited impact on the appearance of the conservation area.
The rollout is being delivered in partnership with Visa, while St John Ambulance will provide training to branch staff and communities across the UK.
