Accessibility report for www.wuth.nhs.uk
Introduction
Website accessibility regulations came into force on 23 September 2018. The regulations mean that public sector bodies now have a legal obligation to meet accessibility requirements for their websites.
To check how well the public sector are meeting the requirements, the Government Digital Service (part of the Cabinet Office) has been monitoring a sample of public sector websites.
You’ve been sent this report because https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/ is one of the websites we’ve monitored. This report explains:
- which parts of your website we looked at
- how we checked the accessibility of those pages
- the accessibility issues found and how important they are
- what you need to do next to fix the issues
You can read more about the web accessibility regulations.
How accessible the website is
We checked https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/ on 22 August 2023 against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.
Based on our testing, this site is partially compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA. This means there are some things which are not fully accessible.
How we checked
We use a mixture of simple manual checks and automated tests to find only the most common barriers to users with accessibility needs. We would expect your organisation to fully audit the website to find any other accessibility issues.
Manual checks included using each page without a mouse, viewing the page at different zoom settings, and simulating viewing the page on a small screen.
The automated tests were completed using the latest version of Axe.
Tests were completed using different settings in the Google Chrome browser on Mac OSX with a 13 inch screen.
Pages we checked
| Page Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Home | https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/ |
| Contact | https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/contact-us/ |
| Latest News | https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/news/latest-news/ |
| Wirral Women and Children's Hospital | https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/wirral-women-and-childrens-hospital/ |
| Public Board of Directors - 25th January 2023 PDF | https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/media/22210/board-of-directors-in-public-v2-25-01-23.pdf |
The issues we found
Only serious accessibility issues on the sample of pages we tested are listed in this report – these will cause problems for users with access needs when using your website. There are likely to be smaller errors which will make things more difficult for some users. You must carry out your own audit to find and fix issues.
Home page issues
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 |
Users should be able to use a keyboard to access all content and functionality of a web page. This means the page can be used by people with no vision as well as people who use alternative keyboards or input devices that act as a keyboard. |
When using the keyboard it is not possible to access submenus from the main menu bar, such as the links below 'Our Locations' and 'Our Services'. The 'Accessibility' button cannot be accessed using the keyboard. The search bar cannot be accessed using the keyboard. When a message is shown on the screen, such as 'Message from the Board of Wirral University Teaching Hospital - Lucy Letby Trial' the 'x' button in the corner cannot be accessed using the keyboard. |
| Issue:2 |
A visible focus helps users know which element has keyboard focus and where they are on the page. When an element gets focus there should be a visible border around it. Highlighting the element that has keyboard focus or is hovered over can provide information like whether the element is interactive or the scope of that element. Operating systems have a native indication of focus, which is available in many browsers. The default display of the focus indicator is not always highly visible and may even be difficult to see especially on coloured backgrounds. |
There is no visible focus on the articles under the 'News around the Trust' when using the keyboard. When a message is shown on the screen, such as 'Message from the Board of Wirral University Teaching Hospital - Lucy Letby Trial' the focus on the 'Got it!' button for closing the message is barely visible. |
| Issue:3 |
Reflow or ‘responsive web design’ helps users with low vision who may need to enlarge text on a webpage and read it in a single column without scrolling in more than one direction. It also helps users who are viewing the page on a mobile device. If a page does not support reflow it can appear smaller and more difficult to use or content may be cut off. Navigation menus often collapse into fewer items or into a single menu button to take up less space. All content and functionality must still be fully available. |
At 400% zoom, the page header covers the webpage content leaving users unable to view the main content. |
| Issue:4 |
Images of text cause problems for users who need to adjust how visual content like font size, spacing or colours are displayed. The image quality can reduce and become blurry when users increase page magnification. Images of text should not be used unless text cannot be formatted to the same effect, for example logos or branding. Text may be used in images where the text is part of an image that contains a lot of other visual content like graphs or diagrams that give important information through more than just text. |
There are images of text within the main carousel, such as the image on the 'NHS 111 First' slide. There is an image of text under 'News from around the Trust', linked to the article 'Public urged to use NHS 111 Online ahead of three-day doctor strike'. |
| Issue:5 |
Content that moves, flashes or updates automatically can be a severe distraction for certain users, making it difficult to use the page. It can also cause problems for assistive technologies like screen readers. For any moving, flashing or scrolling information that:
there should be a way for the user to pause, stop or hide it, unless it is part of an essential activity. There must be a method to allow the user to pause, stop, hide or control the frequency for content that automatically begins ‘auto-updating’ in parallel with other content unless it is essential to an activity. |
The carousel below the main menu does not have an obvious pause, stop or hide button. |
| Issue:6 |
Poor colour contrast makes it difficult for someone with sight loss to see the content properly. If there is a big difference between the background and foreground colours it should be much easier to see the difference between them. |
There is insufficient colour contrast in the image of text next to 'NHS 111 First' and 'Research at WUTH'. |
| Issue:7 | WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus Content that appears when an element gets keyboard focus or on mouse pointer hover can confuse users as they may not have intended to trigger an action or may not notice that new content has appeared. This functionality may not show on mobile devices. If using this functionality to display extra content, the following must be true:
|
When hovering over the main menu dropdowns, such as 'Our Locations', there is no mechanism available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus, and this obscures content below. |
| Issue:8 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. Poor colour contrast makes it difficult for someone with sight loss to see the content properly. If there is a big difference between the background and foreground colours it should be much easier to see the difference between them. |
There are elements in this page that do not have sufficient colour contrast. This refers to blue and light blue link menus in the main text of the page, such as 'Our Locations' and 'Choose Us'. When hovering over the links in the main bar sub menus, such as 'Refreshment Facilities' under 'Our Locations', there is insufficient colour contrast. |
| Issue:9 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. Issue found using Deque Axe. Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. Users with sight loss often enlarge fonts on their browser or zoom in to make text easier to read. The page must support resizing of text up to 200%. You should ensure that zooming and scaling has not been disabled by use of parameters in the <meta name="viewport"> element. |
Element Location: meta[name="viewport"] <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale = 1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no"> To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable=no on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices. |
| Issue:10 | WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements. Issue found using Deque Axe. The aria-hidden="true" attribute on an element makes it, and its child elements invisible to assistive technology. It may be used to hide content a user does not need to access such as unnecessary content or decorative images. If aria-hidden="true" is used on a focusable element, it will be ignored in the reading order but will still get focus confusing the user. It should not be used on focusable elements or on the body element of a page. |
This refers to the main carousel and the element to the left of the carousel (Element Location: .clone[aria-hidden="true"]:nth-child(1) <li style="background-image: url("/media/12103/cara-2.png?crop=0,0.17801672640382318,0,0.1323844744492581&cropmode=percentage&width=1447&height=360&rnd=132070659980000000&quality=100"); height: auto; width: 1260px; margin-right: 0px; float: left; display: block;" class="clone" aria-hidden="true">). To solve these problems, you need to fix the following: Focusable content should have tabindex='-1' or be removed from the DOM. |
Contact page issues
https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/contact-us/
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | When using the keyboard it is not possible to access submenus from the main menu bar, such as the links below 'Our Locations' and 'Our Services'. The 'Accessibility' button cannot be accessed using the keyboard. The search bar cannot be accessed using the keyboard. |
|
| Issue:2 | At 400% zoom, the page header covers the webpage content leaving users unable to view the main content. |
|
| Issue:3 | When hovering over the main menu dropdowns, such as 'Our Locations', there is no mechanism available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus, and this obscures content below. |
|
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
When hovering over the links in the main bar sub menus, such as 'Refreshment Facilities' under 'Our Locations', there is insufficient colour contrast. |
| Issue:5 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
Element Location: meta[name="viewport"] <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale = 1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no"> To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable=no on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices. |
Latest News page issues
https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/news/latest-news/
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | When using the keyboard it is not possible to access submenus from the main menu bar, such as the links below 'Our Locations' and 'Our Services'. The 'Accessibility' button cannot be accessed using the keyboard. The search bar cannot be accessed using the keyboard. |
|
| Issue:2 | At 400% zoom, the page header covers the webpage content leaving users unable to view the main content. |
|
| Issue:3 | There are some images of text attached to the articles under 'Latest News', such as the 'Order your repeat prescriptions now' image of text on the 'Remember to order your repeat prescriptions before Easter and busy period of industrial action' article. |
|
| Issue:4 | The 'Order your repeat prescriptions now' image of text on the 'Remember to order your repeat prescriptions before Easter and busy period of industrial action' article does not have sufficient colour contrast. |
|
| Issue:5 | When hovering over the main menu dropdowns, such as 'Our Locations', there is no mechanism available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus, and this obscures content below. |
|
| Issue:6 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
When hovering over the links in the main bar sub menus, such as 'Refreshment Facilities' under 'Our Locations', there is insufficient colour contrast. |
| Issue:7 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
Element Location: meta[name="viewport"] <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale = 1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no"> To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable=no on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices. |
Wirral Women and Children's Hospital page issues
https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/wirral-women-and-childrens-hospital/
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | The 'Accessibility' button cannot be accessed using the keyboard. When using the keyboard it is not possible to access submenus from the main menu bar, such as the links below 'COVID-19 Updates' and 'Maternity Services'. The search bar cannot be accessed using the keyboard. The left and right arrows under 'Wirral Women's, Children's and Community Hospital News' cannot be accessed using the keyboard. |
|
| Issue:2 | There is no visible focus on the articles under the 'Wirral Women's, Children's and Community Hospital News'. |
|
| Issue:3 |
Visual text, including text-based controls can be scaled so that they can be read directly by users with visual impairments without using assistive technology such as a screen magnifier. Text must be able to be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or function. |
At 200% zoom, the 'Accessibility' button obscures the 'WUTH Charity' button at the top of the page. |
| Issue:4 | At 400% zoom and in mobile view, the page header covers the webpage content leaving users unable to view the main content. |
|
| Issue:5 | When hovering over the main menu 'Maternity Services', there is no mechanism available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus, and this obscures content below. |
|
| Issue:6 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
When hovering over the links in the main bar sub menus, such as 'Virtual Tour' under 'Maternity Services', there is insufficient colour contrast. The text in light blue boxes under 'Choose Us', 'Quick Information' and 'Your Health' does not have sufficient colour contrast. |
| Issue:7 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
Element Location: meta[name="viewport"] <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale = 1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no"> To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable=no on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices. |
| Issue:8 | WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements. |
This refers to the main carousel and the element to the left of the carousel (element Location: .clone[aria-hidden="true"]:nth-child(1) <li style="background-image: url("/media/18224/dsc_1602_1.jpg?crop=0,0.22303674192120407,0.0000000000000001263187085796,0.40427295502012534&cropmode=percentage&width=1447&height=360&rnd=132731552030000000&quality=100"); height: auto; width: 1260px; margin-right: 0px; float: left; display: block;" class="clone" aria-hidden="true">). To solve these problems, you need to fix the following: Focusable content should have tabindex='-1' or be removed from the DOM. |
Public Board of Directors - 25th January 2023 PDF issues
https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/media/22210/board-of-directors-in-public-v2-25-01-23.pdf
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 |
Poor colour contrast makes it difficult for someone with sight loss to see the content properly. If there is a big difference between the background and foreground colours it should be much easier to see the difference between them. |
This document has elements which do not have sufficient colour contrast, such as the 'Quality Performance Dashboard' table in Appendix 1. |
| Issue:2 |
PDF documents should have titles that describe the topic or purpose of the page. Titles help users understand the topic without having to read the entire document. Without a descriptive title a user may need to spend time searching the document to decide whether the content is relevant. When a PDF is displayed in a browser the title will usually be displayed in the top title bar or as the tab name. |
The document title is missing within the settings of the PDF document. |
| Issue:3 |
Assistive technologies are more accurate when a document has a specified language. For example, knowing the language means screen readers can accurately convert text to speech with the correct pronunciation and visual browsers can display the correct characters. This allows users to understand content better. |
The language is missing within the settings of the PDF document. |
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: Tables. Information in tables must be shown in a way that maintains the relationships between the data even when a user cannot see the table. Assistive technologies like screen readers rely on correct markup within a table to understand and show the correct information to a user. Tables in PDF documents should be tagged to give information such as row and column titles. |
The document does not have any tags. You should review the tags across the document. |
| Issue:5 |
People with sight loss may not see an image clearly on a page. You need to use a text alternative to share the information. The alternative text must describe the information or function represented by the image. Screen readers can share the alternative text with the user. In PDF documents you must ensure that images are tagged correctly with alternative text. |
The document has elements that do not have alternative text. |
Your accessibility statement
As part of the regulations you must publish an accessibility statement.
An accessibility page for the website could not be found or the accessibility page did not include a statement. Every public sector website must include an accessibility statement and it is against the law to not have one.
More information about accessibility statements can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps.
The model statement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/model-accessibility-statement.
What to do next
It is a requirement of The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 that public sector websites are accessible.
You should fix any issues that were found and do your own accessibility audit to check for issues that go beyond the scope of simple accessibility testing.
Enforcement
On behalf of the Minister for the Cabinet Office we provide the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) with details about public sector bodies who have been monitored. If accessibility issues remain after giving you time to fix them, the EHRC may take further action.
Public sector bodies must publish an accessibility statement and review it regularly. If the decision is taken that a public sector body has failed to publish an accessibility statement or that the accessibility statement is incorrect, the Minister for the Cabinet Office may publish the name of the body and a copy of the decision.
The enforcement process can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps#how-the-accessibility-regulations-will-be-monitored-and-enforced.
Contact and more information
This test was conducted by the Government Digital Service on behalf of the Minister of the Cabinet Office as part of their obligations to monitor the accessibility of public sector websites in the United Kingdom.
As the monitoring body we cannot offer specific advice on approaches or general accessibility queries other than questions directly related to the items in this report.
Any questions about this report can be sent to accessibility-monitoring@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk.
Further information on guidance and tools for digital accessibility can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-and-tools-for-digital-accessibility.
Help with accessibility auditing and publishing an accessibility statement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/make-your-website-or-app-accessible-and-publish-an-accessibility-statement.