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Accessibility statement for Check if you have an exemption from paying NHS costs

This accessibility statement applies to the Check if you have an exemption from paying NHS costs website.

This website is run by the NHS Business Services Authority. 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 just a keyboard
  • navigate the website using speech recognition software (including the most recent version of Dragon)
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of VoiceOver)

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 some parts of this website are not fully accessible, as:

  • many features on the website need to be accessibility-reviewed to make sure they are implemented correctly for users with accessibility needs
  • the structure of the website screens needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines
  • the use of Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) on the website needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines

How to request content in an accessible format 

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille you can contact us by:

Email: accessibility@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

We will consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

This inbox is only for accessibility queries. This inbox is not for technical queries or IT problems. If you have a query that is not about accessibility, go to the ‘Contact us’ section of this page.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, you can contact us by:

Email: accessibility@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

This inbox is only for accessibility queries. This inbox is not for technical queries or IT problems. If you have a query that is not about accessibility, go to the ‘Contact us’ section of this page.

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 not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contact us

For all queries not accessibility related, you can contact us by:

Email: healthexemptionservices@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The NHS Business Services Authority 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 listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Many features on the website need to be accessibility-reviewed to make sure they’re implemented correctly for users with accessibility needs.

The structure of the website screens needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines.

The use of Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) on the website needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines.

Although these do not fail WCAG 2.1 success criteria, we will review these to make sure we meet all accessibility standards on our website.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are committed to making sure this website is compliant to WCAG 2.1 ‘AA’ standard.

Every new released website will be designed, built and tested to meet ‘AA’ standards by default.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 12 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 3 October 2023.

This website was last tested on 22 March 2022. The test was carried out by the NHSBSA test and front-end development teams.

We tested all of the website screens to meet ‘AA’ WCAG 2.1 standards, using manual and automated tests.

We run each webpage through automated Wave, Lighthouse and Axe accessibility tools then manually test with screen readers (NVDA or VoiceOver) and standards checklists. We run representative user journey tests through speech recognition software (Dragon or Voice Control).

These checklists contain standards that have been compiled using WCAG, the NHS service manual and the Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance.