This accessibility statement applies to www.gwh.nhs.uk and all sub-pages.

This website is run by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 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 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader
  • translate most of the website into alternative languages using Google Translate.

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.

Feedback and contact information

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

How accessible this website is

We want as many people as possible to access our website, but know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • the text will not always reflow in a single column when you change the size of the browser window
  • most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • some of our older PDF documents are missing the language options
  • some of our PDF documents do not have table headings
  • some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • some of our online forms do not have a sufficient colour contrast
  • zooming and scaling is disabled on some of our online forms
  • some of our banners do not have a sufficient colour contrast when magnified over 200%
  • at 400% in mobile view, the menu does not reflow to fit the webpage
  • in some cases, alternative text is not available.

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, contact: gwh.webmaster@nhs.net.

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 have contacted us about an accessibility issue and are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 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

Effective June 2023, the website status is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below:

  • At 200% zoom and more, the hamburger menu is not accessible using the keyboard
  • At 400% and in mobile view, the menu does not reflow correctly to fit the webpage. The mouse cannot select content at the bottom of the menu
  • At 400% zoom, the carousel does not reflow to fit the webpage
  • The keyboard focus is not visible on the carousel and content within the carousel
  • Board Papers – November 2022: The document has elements that are missing alternative text
  • Board Papers – November 2022: The language is missing within the settings of the PDF document
  • The title 'Complaints handling- Patient satisfaction survey' does not have sufficient colour contrast
  • Board Papers – November 2022: There are tables in the document that do not have correctly marked up headings
  • Zooming and scaling is disabled on some online forms
  • Buttons must have discernible text.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
    • We plan to add text alternatives for all images by September 2024. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
  • Some tables within attached documents do not have headings, so people using a screen reader may not understand what the information within the table relates to. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
    • We plan to add headings to all future tables on our website and attached documents.
  • Due to the Trust using a third-party provider for some online forms, we do not have complete control of the functionality and style of these forms which means some people may experience issues navigating the forms when using a keyboard. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text.
    • We are working to move all our forms over to an in-house form system by September 2024.

How we tested this website

We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level A and level AA to test how accessible our website is.

We have also used www.accessibilitychecker.org/ to check the accessibility of our website. The check advised we were compliant.

In 2023, the Government Digital Services conducted an audit of a representative sample of pages on our website, from which common accessibility issues across the website were identified.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 7 July 2023. It was last reviewed on 11 December 2023.

This website was last tested on 7 June 2023. The test was carried out by Government Digital Services, Cabinet Office.