This accessibility statement applies to the following services:
- Submit a freedom of information request
- Submit a subject rights request
- Submit a subject rights request for someone else
This website is run by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard or speech recognition software (Dragon)
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of NVDA)
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, as:
- it is difficult to navigate between landmarks using assistive technology
- you can have difficulty in identifying the relevant input field when an error is shown
- larger numbers in error messages do not contain commas - this can cause difficulty to some users when reading numbers
- users can have difficulty when navigating between links using assistive technology
- you cannot access the site when JavaScript is disabled
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’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
This email address is only for accessibility queries. It 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 email address is only for accessibility queries. It 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.
Contact us
For all queries not accessibility related, you can contact us by:
Email: Microsoft365SupportTeam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
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
The NHSBSA 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 2.2 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
Some pages contain Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) roles that have not been applied correctly, which makes using assistive technology difficult. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
Some fields in an error state have not been formatted correctly. This may cause confusion to some users as to which field is causing the error. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification).
Some larger numbers in error messages do not contain commas. This can cause difficulty to some users when reading numbers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1 (Readable).
Some links do not have unique descriptive text. This can cause difficulties for users trying to distinguish between links. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)).
This website will not function when JavaScript is disabled. This may cause difficulty to some users to submit their request. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1 (Compatible).
This website was developed using Microsoft Power Portals. We plan to fix these issues to ensure the website meets accessibility standards.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We’re committed to making sure this website is compliant to WCAG 2.2 ‘AA’ standard.
Our accessibility compliance statement will be reviewed regularly. Every newly released website will be designed, built, and tested to meet ‘AA’ standards by default.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 28 February 2023. It was last reviewed on 2 October 2024.
This website was last tested on 30 September 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
The test was carried out by the NHSBSA test and development teams. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
We tested all the website screens to meet ‘AA’ WCAG 2.2 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.