ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT FOR NHS ENGLAND DIGITAL LEARNING SOLUTIONS

NHS England (NHSE) is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (Accessibility Regulations).

This accessibility statement applies to Digital Learning Solutions (DLS). DLS is a free of charge resource for public sector health and care organisations in England and can be accessed by users at home or work. It provides diagnostic tools to assess your current skill level and then subsequently suggests a learning path.

This website is run by NHSE. 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 a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the latest versions of JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. However, some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording which we could use without changing what the text means.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, which can be found here: https://abilitynet.org.uk/.

1. HOW ACCESSIBLE THIS WEBSITE IS

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

1.1 some pages are not written in plain English

1.2 most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software

1.3 some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard

1.4 you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader

2. ACCESSIBILITY HELP

We have provided accessibility support on the website, which can be found here: https://www.dls.nhs.uk/v2/LearningSolutions/AccessibilityHelp.

3. THIRD PARTY ELEARNING CONTENT

DLS also hosts a variety of digital resources such as Word documents, PDF documents, videos and e-learning content developed by third parties. We also link to websites and resources hosted on third party platforms.

The Accessibility Regulations do not apply to third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of NHSE.

Some of the third-party organisations whose content we host have provided their own accessibility statements covering their e-learning content and their contact details should be available on their help pages.

4. FEEDBACK AND CONTACT INFORMATION

If you need information on this website in a different format, then contact us at support@dls.nhs.uk and tell us:

4.1 your name and email address

4.2 which e-learning resource you are enquiring about

4.3 the format you need, for example, easy read, audio CD, Braille, BSL or large print, accessible PDF

We’ll review your request and aim to respond within 10 days.

You can also view the accessible document policy of the organisation that published the document to report any problems or request documents in an alternative format.

5. 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 support@dls.nhs.uk.

6. ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURE

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Accessibility Regulations. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) here: https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/.

7. TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS WEBSITE’S ACCESSIBILITY

NHSE is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/regulation/4/made.

8. COMPLIANCE STATUS

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, which can be found here: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

9. NON-ACCESSIBLE CONTENT

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:

9.1 Non-compliance with the Accessibility Regulations

We recognise that some of the DLS e-learning content doesn’t comply with the Accessibility Regulations. Some content is not screen reader compatible, some content is not keyboard navigable, some content does not follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines accessibility standards, and some video content does not contain closed captions or transcripts.

9.2 Disproportionate burden

While we have endeavoured to ensure the DLS website is as compliant as possible, we believe that auditing the e-learning content specifically for its compliance with the Accessibility Regulations would be a disproportionate burden.

You can read the disproportionate burden statement here: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/disproportionate-burden-statement

9.3 Content that’s not within the scope of the Accessibility Regulations

9.3.1 PDFs and non-HTML documents

Many documents are not accessible in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

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. Please refer here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/regulation/4/made.

10. PREPARATION OF THIS ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

This statement was prepared on 14 November 2022. It was last updated on 17 March 2023.

This website was last tested on 10 November 2022. The test was carried out by Cyber-Duck. The sessions chosen to be tested were the most accessed pages and the pages that the learners interact with the most. DLS was tested in relation to the following accessibility requirements:

• Robust - meaning that the content and functionality is compatible with assistive technology
• Operable - meaning that a user can successfully use controls, buttons, navigation, and other necessary elements
• Understandable - meaning that content is consistent and appropriate in its presentation, format, and design
• Perceivable - meaning that the user can easily identify content and interface elements