Nationwide partners with Shout to offer free mental health support 

Nationwide will also provide immediate mental health assistance to its customers, as a brand new SMS support service. The largest and biggest in the UK, the building society has branches in Birmingham and the whole of the UK.

Nationwide asserts that the support is free and it can be obtained 24/7 and by sending NATION to 85258. Messages will not be charged on phone bills, and people will be assured to make the call when they need it most especially in the evening between 9pm-2am hours, when Shout records the highest demand.

It has collaborated with mental health charity Shout, who have an online, free and confidential 24/7 text messaging service, providing colleagues with another avenue of assisting those they think might require mental health assistance.

When a colleague thinks that a person is in trouble, he can refer him or her to text NATION to 85258 at any hour of the day or night and be immediately connected one-to-one with a trained volunteer supervised by clinicians to get instant one-to-one help.

Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer Vulnerability at Nationwide said: “We know mental health challenges can hit without warning -often alongside financial difficulty.

“For some, talking on the phone feele impossible or is impossible – our partnership with Shout gives our customer-facing teams and additional tool to provide customers with an accessible, safe and confidential way to get help 24/7.

“From keeping every branch open until 2030, offering safe spaces for those experiencing domestic abuse, in-branch Dementia UK clinics and our range of new Easy Read guides, Nationwide continues to strive to make banking fairer, more accessible and more inclusive.”

Francesca Hughes, Mental health Innovations Partnerships Manager commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with Nationwide on this exciting initiative.

“Together, we’re using digital innovation to make mental health support more accessible and immediate, helping Nationwide customers and family members look after their well-being in a simple and confidential way by texting ‘NATION’ to 85258.

“The service is available 24/7, offering support whenever it’s needed and we know that for many people, those moments often come late at night when worries can feel hardest to manage.
“This partnership ensures no one has to face those moments alone. It represents a shared belief that early, confidential support can make a life-changing difference.”

It was recently rated as Advanced by the Money and Mental Health Institute (MMHPI) and funded the recent study by MMHPI on how financial institutions can facilitate access to the third-party tools with people with mental issues. The text service under consideration is only a part of a larger initiative by Nationwide to make banking more accessible.