Accessibility

This accessibility statement applies to users of the NHS Digital Staff Passport (NHS DSP) website.

This website is run by the NHS England Enabling Staff Movement team.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

If you encounter any accessibility issues with this website, please let us know.

Email: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

What is accessibility and why does it matter?

To be accessible, the NHS DSP website must be as easy to use and understandable for as many people as possible.

This website complies with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Level AA guidelines for accessibility and we are committed to maintaining and improving the accessibility of the NHS DSP website.

For example, that means you should be able to:

change colours, contrast levels and fonts
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
navigate the website using speech recognition software (including the most recent version of Dragon and Voice Control)
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
access the content using a mobile or tablet

We’ve also made the NHS DSP website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Common accessibility questions

Text size

Q: Can I change the font size used on the NHS DSP website?

A: Yes. This may be useful for you if you have low vision and need larger font sizes.

On a PC: from Internet Explorer select the View menu at the top of your window, scroll down and select the Text size option

On an Apple Mac: from Safari select Preferences from the Edit menu at the top of the window. From there, click on Web content and uncheck the Show style sheets option. Then return to the list of preferences and choose Web browser. Then click on Language/fonts and choose the size you need

Text colour

Q: Can I change the font colours used on the NHS DSP website?

A: Yes. This may be useful for you if you have low vision and need high contrast colours. You can change the style and colour, and choose an alternative colour for links. You can also change background and foreground colours.

To ignore font and background colours in Internet Explorer on a PC, choose Internet options from the Tools menu at the top of the window. On the general tab of the window that appears, click the Accessibility button. This takes you to a menu where you can choose to ignore the way the page is formatted. To set your colour and font preferences, return to the Internet options menu and use the Colours and Fonts buttons.

Keyboard navigation

Q: Do I have to use a mouse to navigate the NHS DSP website?

A: No. Use your arrow keys to scroll up or down the page. You can use your Tab key to move between links, and press Return or Enter to select one. To go back to the previous page, use the Backspace key.

PDF accessibility

We try to make sure that PDF documents on the NHS DSP website are as accessible.

Q: Is there anything I can do to make PDF documents more accessible?

A: Support to make Adobe Acrobat documents, such as PDFs, more accessible is provided on Adobe Acrobat Reader’s Help section of the website. Further information can be found on Adobe’s Accessibility website section.

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

Email: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

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 Support section of this website.

Downloading documents

Q: What formats are downloadable documents provided in?

A: Downloadable documents on the NHS DSP website are provided in a variety of formats. The most common are PDF and Microsoft Word.

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

Email: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

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 Support section of this website.

Q: What if I don’t have the software to open the document?

A: Most computers already have the software to open these document formats. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader (for reading PDFs), it is available from the Adobe site.

Q: How do I save documents to my computer?

A: If you have a PC, right-click on the link to the document. If you use a Macintosh, hold down the mouse button over the link. In both cases, a pop-up menu will then appear. Scroll down the menu and click on ‘Save target as’. You will then be asked to choose a folder on your computer where you can save the document.

Some browsers such as Firefox and Chrome automatically download documents to your computer when you open them.

Video accessibility

Q: Are NHS DSP videos accessible?

A: Yes. Videos on the NHS DSP website are hosted on the NHSE YouTube channel and accompanied by closed captions.

www.youtube.com/user/TheNHSEngland

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

Email: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

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 Support section of this website.

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: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

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 Support section of this website.

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 via the Support section of this website.

For accessibility related queries, you can contact us by email:

Email: england.digitalstaffpassport@nhs.net

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 Support section of this website.

For site visitors who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, find out how to contact us www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/, referencing the NHS England Enabling Staff Movement team.

Technical information about this website accessibility

The NHS England Enabling Staff Movement team 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

The NHS DSP website was assessed for Accessibility standards in October 2023.

This assessment confirmed the site is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard.

When we publish new content, we’ll make sure it meets accessibility standards.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We’re committed to making sure this website remains compliant to WCAG 2.1 ‘AA’ standard.

Our accessibility compliance statement will be reviewed every 6 months.

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

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This website was last tested on 5th October 2023. The test was carried out by NHS England procured test and front-end development teams.

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

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

Page last updated

11th October 2023