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Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the NHS Standards Directory.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, this means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader
  • we have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know from several accessibility reports that parts of this website are not fully accessible.

Usability issues

We have identified some issues that, although do not fail to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, may prove challenging for users of the website. These include:

  • some heading levels in the homepage increase by more than one level at a time
  • some additional features within the filter section of the Published standards page may be beneficial for some blind users, such as the option to reset the filter options
  • the details component used in standard listing pages is problematic for VoiceOver users
  • the feedback link below the main menu does not include the destination as part of the hypertext
  • when Window’s default colour inversion is used the search input is difficult to decipher for users with low vision
  • nested lists in some of our content pages can make reading slow and difficult to some screen readers
  • links to websites or software that we do not own or manage and so cannot guarantee their accessibility

We are actively working to address these issues as part of an ongoing programme to improve the accessibility of this website.

Other websites that the directory signposts to

Many of the links to standard documentation that we signpost use PDFs which are not fully accessible to screen reader software. Some of these PDFs are required to access the specification or implementation guidance for the standards.

If you're having problems using these PDFs, contact the standard owner for advice.

Feedback and contact information

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. Contact england.interop.standards@nhs.net if you have an accessibility query including:

  • issues with accessing information or using this website
  • an accessibility problem not listed on this statement
  • any positive feedback about this website's accessibility

Enforcement procedure

If you contact us with a complaint and you are not happy with our response, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS). The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 on legislation.gov.uk (the "accessibility regulations").

Technical information about this website's accessibility

We're committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the accessibility regulations.

Compliance status

This website via internal testing we believe is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard. This means we have addressed all the level A and AA accessibility issues identified through internal tests.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was updated in October 2024.

This website has had internal accessibility testing and fixes applied in July 2024 and is awaiting assignment of an independent auditor. This website was last independently audited in July 2022 by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC), who performed an expert user evaluation against all level A and AA success criteria of WCAG 2.1. This website's accessibility will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis.