This accessibility statement applies to the Information Services Portal (ISP).
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:
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- change screen orientation to portrait or landscape
- 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:
- most pages do not contain headings or have poorly designed heading structures making it difficult to navigate
- some pages have no or badly worded page titles which makes understanding the purpose of the page more difficult
- pages use a layout that can make it difficult when using a screen reader
- pages contain missing or inappropriate form labels
- pages contain empty or multiple links that go to the same location
- the contrast between foreground and background makes the website difficult to read
- some pages have images which have missing alternative text which make them difficult to identify with a screen reader
- logos do not have the correct alternative text
- some of our pages are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- some text is too small or badly formatted and you cannot modify the type, size or spacing of text
- error messages are complex and difficult to understand
- messages and pop up boxes are not identified clearly by a screen reader
- timeouts can occur without warning to the user and users have no way of stopping these timeouts
- some pages contain elements that cannot be identified clearly by a screen reader
- there are no autocomplete options included when filling in forms
- certain pages contain instructions that are not easy to follow or contain visual descriptions
- it is not possible to navigate all of this website using screen reader software
- it may not possible to navigate the website using speech recognition software
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 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’re 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: informationsystems@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
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
Most pages are missing the first level heading or no heading structure at all. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
Some pages have missing or uninformative page titles. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Title).
Most pages contain layout tables to position content visually this can cause reading and navigation issues especially for people using screen readers.This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence).
Some pages have issues with missing, inappropriate and empty form labels. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels), 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions).
Some pages have issues with missing, duplicated and empty links. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose).
Some pages contain elements that have very low contrast between foreground and background. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast Minimum).
Some pages have images which have issues with alternative text. This means people using a screen reader cannot access the information properly. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
Logos and images do not have the correct alternative text. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of Text).
Some pages contain technical features that make navigation with a keyboard could be difficult. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.1.1 (Keyboard) and 3.2.2 (On Input).
Some pages do not have the option to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option). This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) and 3.2.3 (Consistent Navigation).
It is not possible for users to change text size or formatting. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (Resize Text).
Error messages do not clearly describe what went wrong and how to fix the problem. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification).
Important messages and pop up boxes are not picked up or not conveyed accurately by screen readers. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.3 (Status Messages).
Screen readers are not able to announce the name and role of key parts of pages on this website. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.6 (Identify Purpose)
There is no warning or explanation of when website timeouts are about to happen and users have no way of stopping these timeouts. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.6 (Timeouts).
Autocomplete is not available on any part of this website. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose)
Instructions are not always clear and easy to follow as they sometimes contain visual descriptions. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions)
It is not possible to navigate all of the website using speech recognition software. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value) and 4.1.3 (Status Messages).
When we publish new content, we’ll make sure it meets accessibility standards.
Disproportionate burden
Not applicable
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Documents are missing or have no heading structure at all. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
Some pages have images with missing or incorrect alternative text. This means people using a screen reader cannot access the information properly. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs and Word documents with information on how users can access and use our services. We plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We’re 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 15 September 2020. It was last reviewed 30 September 2021.
This website was last tested on 11 September 2020. The test was carried out by the Insight Information Services training team.
We tested a sample 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 reader (NVDA) and standards checklists.
These checklists contain standards that have been compiled using WCAG, NHS service manual and GDS guidance.