shc.lnwh accessibility statement

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text without additional software
• you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader or keyboard
• some elements on our website are not fully navigable by keyboard
• in high contrast mode, some links do not have enough contrast with the background.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, contact our patient advice team:

• email lnwh-tr.pals@nhs.net
• call 020 8967 5653
• or visit us in person: our PALS office is near the main entrance at Ealing Hospital.

Please include in your request:

• the web address (URL) of the content
• your name and email address
• the format you need, for example audio CD, braille, BSL or large print.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 14 working days.

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, please email our digital communications team on:

• Email lnwh-tr.communications@nhs.net
• Call 020 8869 3552

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).

London North West University Healthcare is committed to making its websites 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-compliance and the exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

These issues will be fixed by January 2024:

• Some text and graphics don't have enough contrast against the background (WCAG 1.4.3).
• There’s no skip to content button (WCAG 2.4.1).
• Some buttons don’t have accessible titles (WCAG 2.1).
• Some buttons either don’t have a visible focus, or the focus isn’t highly visible
• Keyboard navigation does not have a logical order (WCAG 2.1).
• At 200% zoom, keyboard navigation goes through links in the mobile menu, even when the mobile menu is closed (WCAG 2.1).
• At 100%, sub items in the main menu are not expandable or navigable by keyboard (WCAG 2.1).
• At 200%, sub items in the mobile menu are not expandable or navigable by keyboard (WCAG 2.1).
• At 200%, keyboard focus highlight covers the mobile menu icon (WCAG 1.4.13).
• Both mobile and main menus are not dismissible by keyboard (1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus).
• Some interactive controls are not larger than 44×44 pixels (WCAG 2.5.5).
• At 100%, line length is too long (WCAG 1.4.8).
• At 200%, the cookie bar covers content (WCAG 2.4.11).
• Text links are not consistently styled: ie, some links are underlined when clicked, others not (WCAG 1.4.13).
• In high and soft contrast, some images are not properly displayed (WCAG 1.4.13).
• In high and soft contrast, certain links do not have enough contrast (WCAG 1.4.3).

These issues will be fixed when we find them, either through accessibility audits or regular content review:

Some pages and documents have a reading age higher than 16 (WCAG 3.1.5). We regularly review our written information to ensure everyone can understand it, but sometimes we have to publish information of a legal or clinical nature. Where possible, we link to additional information that is easier to read.

Third party tools

Google Translate

We use Google Translate on our site so you can read information in your chosen language.

Occasionally, Google Translate will add a hidden feedback form without a submit button. This issue has been picked up by an automated checker, but we haven’t been able to replicate the issue in manual testing. The issue affects all sites using the tool. Our developers are working on a fix.

PDFs and other documents

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. For example, we do not plan to fix board papers published before September 2018.

We know PDFs and closed file formats are difficult to use for people with accessibility needs, so wherever possible we use HTML pages instead.

If you need any information in an accessible format, please contact us.

Auto-generated captions

Some of the videos we publish include auto-generated captions. Auto-generated captions comply with accessibility regulation, but if you see anything wrong in any of our video captions, please contact us.

We now have regularly scheduled accessibility audits with a third-party company. Our next accessibility audit is in December 2023. The results will be added here.

Between audits we will find and fix accessibility issues by reviewing a selection of pages.

We're keen to work with user groups to ensure everyone can use our websites. If you want to get involved or if you have any feedback about our websites, please contact us.

This statement was prepared on 1 September 2021. It was last reviewed on 22 September 2023.

This website was last audited on 20 September 2023.

During our tests, we checked five pages to see if they:

• can be navigable by keyboard only
• work in high contrast mode
• work when zoomed in, up to 400%
• can be read aloud by NVDA, a free screen reader
• are understandable to someone with seven to nine years of education using WebFX, a free reading age checker
• We also checked each page with axe DevTools.

Our next accessibility audit is in December 2023.