This accessibility statement applies to the NHS.net Connect website for England.
We aim to make this website accessible to as many people as possible. This means you should be able to:
- Adjust colours, contrast levels, and fonts using browser settings
- Zoom in up to 400% without text overflowing off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using only a keyboard
- Use speech recognition software to navigate most of the website
- Interact with most of the website using a screen reader, including the latest versions of JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver
We also strive to make the website text as easy to understand as possible.
How accessible this website is
Accessibility reports have identified that some parts of this website are not fully accessible.
PDFs
Many PDFs are not fully accessible to screen reader software. Some PDFs are necessary for accessing services. Examples include:
- Help with dental costs requires downloading a refund claim form
- Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers require downloading a claim form
- Registering with a GP practice requires downloading a registration form
Other accessibility issues
Some website features that are not fully accessible include:
- Some online forms that are not easy to navigate with screen readers
- Links and images that may not be self-explanatory to screen readers
- An online survey tool that some screen readers may not interpret correctly
- Links to external websites or software we do not manage and cannot ensure accessibility for
We are actively working to address these issues as part of ongoing improvements to accessibility.
Feedback and contact information
If you have an accessibility issue, you can provide feedback about the NHS website, including:
- Any problems accessing information or using the website
- Any positive feedback about the website's accessibility
We aim to respond within five working days.
Alternative formats
Our content is designed to be as accessible as possible.
If you need information in a different format such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or Braille, please provide feedback. We will consider your request and respond within ten working days.
Reporting accessibility problems
We are always working to improve accessibility. If you find an issue not listed here or believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please provide feedback. This helps us make improvements.
Enforcement procedure
If you contact us with a complaint and are not satisfied with our response, you can seek further assistance.
Technical information about accessibility
We are committed to making this website accessible in accordance with accessibility regulations.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard due to non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The following content is not accessible, along with explanations and references to WCAG guidelines:
Forms
- Service search templates do not automatically announce help and error information to screen readers
- Some form labels are missing or broken
- Some messages are not automatically announced for assistive technology users
- Search placeholder text has low contrast
In-page search
- The site search box placeholder text has low contrast
- Interactive tool
- Error messages are not automatically announced to screen readers
Podcasts
- No text alternative (transcript) is provided for audio-only content
PDFs
- Content structure is sometimes unavailable to assistive technology, making navigation difficult
- Reading order is sometimes illogical, affecting text-to-speech software usability
- Some images lack text alternatives
Older pages
- Some elements in the "Find services" location search box are not announced by screen readers
- Some complex tables have accessibility issues
- Some images within tables lack alternative text descriptions
- The search placeholder text has low contrast
Third-party survey component
- Some screen readers may not announce the first question in pop-up surveys
- The survey may disappear at 400% zoom
Content visibility
- Low contrast focus indication for links, buttons, form fields, and search components
Screen readers
- Some HTML elements are inaccessible, such as empty ARIA landmarks and incorrect ARIA attributes
- Some form labels are missing or broken
- Some content sequences are not meaningful for assistive technology
- Presentation code is embedded within structural code
Content outside accessibility regulations
PDFs and documents
Older PDFs may not meet accessibility standards. Regulations do not require us to fix PDFs published before September 2018 unless they are essential. We plan to replace some PDFs with more accessible content alternatives. Whenever possible, we avoid using PDFs and create structured web pages instead.
Videos
Some older videos do not meet accessibility standards due to missing captions. Regulations do not require captions for videos published before September 2020. We are working to add captions to popular older videos.
What we are doing to improve accessibility
We have published tools and accessibility guidance in the NHS digital service manual, based on extensive testing. This helps our teams build accessible products and services.
At NHS Digital, accessibility is a team effort. We encourage teams to:
- Consider accessibility from the start of a project and throughout
- Make accessibility a shared responsibility
- Research with disabled users
- Use a library of accessible components and patterns
- Conduct regular accessibility audits and testing
- Design and build to WCAG 2.1 AA standards
We have also established an accessibility working group to ensure accessibility remains a core priority.
We are actively addressing accessibility issues by:
- Updating the ten most-watched videos to meet AA standards
- Ensuring all reviewed videos meet AA standards after September 2020
- Updating all audio-only content to AA standard
- Reducing the use of PDFs in favor of accessible web content
- Replacing older PDFs with more accessible content
- Improving the NHS design system with accessibility-focused updates
- Prioritizing accessibility improvements in new projects
- Collaborating with suppliers to enhance accessibility in their products