Accessibility Statement
This accessibility statement applies to ndrs.nhs.net
This website is managed by the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS). 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
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve 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 some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- a visible focus indicator is missing across most of the website
- audio descriptions, text transcripts and captions have not been provided for videos
- embedded maps are not fully accessible – with contrast, screen reader and keyboard-only issues
- alternative text is not descriptive or accurate for many images – including linked (functional) images
- there is insufficient contrast to read some text comfortably
- link text may be difficult to see as it has not been underlined and does not have strong contrast against nearby text
- you cannot skip to the main content on pages as this function isn’t provided
- when text spacing is overridden text gets lost in the Blog section
- form inputs may be difficult for users of speech recognition software and do not have autocomplete tokens
- text has been embedded in images rather than provided as plain text
- form labels are not persistent
- messages which are shown after a successful form submission are not automatically announced by a screen reader
- main navigation sub menus cannot be accessed by keyboard
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, contact: NDRSenquiries@nhs.net.
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’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
NDRS is committed to making its 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 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images
- several informative images across pages do not have sufficient alternative text descriptions and decorative images have not been hidden from screen readers (Non-Text Content 1.1.1)
Structure
- ARIA Landmarks are missing from pages templates throughout (Information and Relationships 1.3.1)
- Iframes are missing descriptive title attributes (Name, Role, Value 4.1.2)
Forms
- there is a mis-match between visible labels and accessible names for form inputs on the ‘Get in touch’ page (Label in Name 2.5.3)
- form inputs do not have persistent labels on the ‘Get in touch’ page (Labels or Instructions 3.3.2)
- autocomplete tokens are missing for form inputs on the ‘Get in touch’ page (Identify Input Purpose 1.3.5)
- on successfully submitting a form, a message is shown but the information is not announced by a screen reader (Focus Order 2.4.3)
Text
- there is insufficient contrast for text across pages (Contrast Minimum 1.4.3)
- text has been embedded in images rather than available as plain text (Images of Text 1.4.5)
- text is obscured when spacing is overridden, in the Blog section of the website (Text Spacing 1.4.12)
Navigation
- overlay content is shown when main menu items are hovered but it is not possible to dismiss this content without moving mouse/pointer or keyboard focus (Content on Hover or Focus 1.4.13)
- a focus indicator is missing for most interactive elements across the website (Focus Visible 2.4.7)
- main navigation sub-menus cannot be accessed using a keyboard (Keyboard 2.1.1)
- there is no method to bypass repeated blocks of content and skip to the main content of a page (Bypass Blocks 2.4.1)
- users have not been provided with more than one way to find web pages (for example via a global search mechanism and sitemap) (Multiple Ways 2.4.6)
Links
- unclear link phrases such as ‘read more’ have been used in both the Blog and Patients website sections and the linked logo in the site header has insufficient alternative text (Link Purpose In Context 2.4.4)
- link text has insufficient contrast with surrounding text and links have not been provided an additional visual differentiation (such as underline) (Use of Colour 1.4.1)
Buttons
- there is insufficient contrast between buttons against adjacent colours (Non-Text Contrast 1.4.11)
Videos
- video content includes information communicated purely visually without an audio description or text transcript (Audio description or Media Alternative (Pre-Recorded) 1.2.3 and Audio Description 1.2.5)
- captions have not been provided for video content (Captions Pre-Recorded 1.2.2)
3rd-party content
- there are known accessibility issues with embedded maps (Google) including missing alternative text for elements, contrast for non-text content and functionality which relies on complex gestures (Non-Text Content 1.1.1, Non-Text Contrast 1.4.11 and Pointer Gestures 2.5.1)
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
- there are known issue with the embedded video player (Vimeo) including poor contrast ratios for player controls and overlay content which cannot be dismissed without moving keyboard focus or mouse/pointer (Non-Text Contrast 1.4.11, Content on Hover or Focus 1.4.13)
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are about to launch a new website where we will be consolidating all legacy websites and platforms associated with NDRS. This single point of access will provide a more user-friendly, streamlined service for stakeholders and users. It will also enable NDRS to meet the accessibility standard for all revised and newly developed web content.
We are working with a software consultancy organisation on this with the aim to have the new website completed by Spring 2022.
We will ensure that the new website meets the accessibility regulations Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 to Level AA.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 21st September 2021. It was last reviewed on 30th September 2021.