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Accessibility statement for digital.nhs.uk

This accessibility statement applies to www.digital.nhs.uk. It does not cover any subsites (which would look like: examplesite.digital.nhs.uk). 

 

This website is run by NHS England. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. 

For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels, and fonts using your browser settings
  • zoom in up to 400% while keeping text visible on the screen, and most images scaling without resolution loss
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software 
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also tried to make the website text as simple as possible to understand. Some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording we could use without changing what the text means.

If you have a disability then AbilityNet has advice to help you make your device easier to use.


How accessible this website is

We know that parts of this website are not fully accessible.

For example: 

  • some page headings are not structured correctly
  • some images do not have clear descriptions
  • some older PDF documents are not accessible to screen reader software
  • some tables and page controls are difficult to use with assistive technologies
  • at high zoom levels (200-400%), it can be hard to see where the keyboard focus is, including on the cookie banner
  • when menus or search are open, keyboard focus can move behind them and be hidden
  • on some pages content does not reflow correctly at very high zoom levels
  • some embedded content and data visualisation use third-party tools that are not fully accessible, such as Power BI and Tableau 

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The issues listed below are known accessibility problems on this website.

Keyboard navigation and focus

Focus order (WCAG 2.4.3)

When the main navigation menu is expanded, particularly at higher zoom levels, keyboard focus may move through page content before reaching menu items.

Focus order (WCAG 2.4.7)

At very high zoom levels (for example, 400%), keyboard focus may not be clearly visible on some components, including part of the cookie banner.

Focus not obscured (WCAG 2.4.11)

When navigation menus or search overlays are open, keyboard focus can move to content behind the overlay, causing the focused element to be hidden from view.

Reflow and sizing

Reflow (WCAG 1.4.10)

At very high zoom levels (up to 400%), some content does not reflow correctly. For example, on the Contact us page, the service-desk email address may require horizontal scrolling to read.

Documents

​​​​​​Many older PDF documents published before 23 September 2018 are not fully accessible. These are not required to be fixed under the accessibility regulations unless they are essential to providing a service. We do not generally add new PDFs to our site.

There are some exceptions:

  • we add some PDFs as downloads of reports or publications, but where a web page version is also available 
  • our directions must, by law, include a signature in order to be valid 
  • downloads intended for print purposes, such as posters 

We also have a number of forms in Microsoft Word format, which are not accessible.

Embedded content

Some embedded content, including maps, videos and data visualisations (such as Power BI or Tableau), use third‑party technologies that are not fully accessible.


What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are working to improve the accessibility of digital.nhs.uk on an ongoing basis. 

This includes:

  • carrying out regular accessibility testing
  • responding to issues identified through independent monitoring, including by the Government Digital Service
  • prioritising fixes to shared components so improvements benefit as many pages and users as possible
  • regularly auditing content to expose and remedy any that may not be accessible

We update this accessibility statement as changes are made and issues are resolved.


Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents 

Some PDF and Word documents published before 23 September 2018 are not fully accessible. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix these documents if they are not essential to providing our services.

If you need one of these documents in an accessible format, please contact us and we will do our best to provide an alternative where possible.

Live video 

Live video streams are exempt from meeting the accessibiity regulations, so we do not plan to add captions to live broadcasts.

Where possible, we record live videos and publish captioned recordings afterwards on our YouTube channel.


Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us:

We will consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible. 


Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website.

If you find any problems not listed on this page, or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, email [email protected] with details of problems you have encountered.


Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

If you are dissatisfied with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)


Technical information about this website's accessibility

NHS England is committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. 


Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed on this page. 

Disproportionate burden assessments that we have carried out are published on our disproportionate burden register


Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was first prepared on 12 December 2011. It has undergone regular review and was last updated on 19 May 2026.

This website was most recently tested in April 2026. Testing included internal accessibility testing by NHS England Website Services and independent monitoring by the Government Digital Service Accessibility Monitoring Service, which reviewed selected pages including the homepage, Contact Us, News, About our digital services, and this accessibility statement.

Last edited: 19 May 2026 3:08 pm