Virgin Money is rolling out sets of custom-made cards across all of its 91 branches to help people with communication difficulties when they are dealing with branch colleagues.
The Speak Easy cards are colour-coded and have pictures and commonly used phrases1 that customers can use to help communicate about their banking – from querying payments to requesting a letter in larger font.
Nationwide was the first financial services provider in the UK to offer dedicated support for customers with communication difficulties across all of its 605 branches. Now, the combined Nationwide Group, which includes Virgin Money, will offer the service across nearly 700 branches in what is Britain’s biggest branch network.
Speak Easy has already helped many Nationwide customers navigate everyday banking with greater ease and confidence. One in five people2 in the UK are expected to experience communication difficulties at some point in their lives - from those affected by stroke or Motor Neurone Disease (MND), through to those who are autistic or have speech or cognitive disabilities.
Launched as part of National Inclusion Week (week commencing 15 September), Speak Easy reflects the mutual’s focus on delivering fairer banking and follows the extension of Nationwide’s Branch Promise to Virgin Money. This ensures the Nationwide Group will not leave any area in which it is based until at least the start of 2028.
Raymond Pettitt, director of customer services and operations at Virgin Money, said: "Launching Speak Easy across our branch network marks both an important step in making banking more inclusive and accessible to all, as well as our first joint customer proposition with Nationwide.
"This fantastic tool helps ensure that every customer, whether living with a disability, recovering from illness, or simply finding verbal communication challenging, can access the support they need with dignity and can communicate with our branch colleagues with confidence."
All Virgin Money branch colleagues have received specialised training to support customers with the cards, with staff being encouraged to offer private spaces, use closed questions with the help of the yes/no cards, and recognise non-verbal cues.
This initiative builds on Virgin Money’s wider commitment to inclusive banking and community support. Through the Virgin Money Foundation, over £3 million has been awarded in grants to community-led organisations promoting digital inclusion. Virgin Money also supports mental health through partnerships with Mind and SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health).
Notes to Editors
1Example phrases on the Speak Easy cards include:
- "Please speak slowly."
- "Can I have a pen and paper?"
- "Urgent: I do not recognise a payment on my account."
- "Help me use the cash machine."
- "I need letters in large font / audio."
2Statistic via the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists: Communication access UK | RCSLT Link opens in a new window