Accessibility report for www.royaldevon.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.royaldevon.nhs.uk/ is one of the websites we’ve monitored. This document 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.royaldevon.nhs.uk/ on 17 April 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 |
|
Get in touch |
|
Accessibility statement |
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us/information-governance/website-accessibility/ |
About us |
|
News |
|
Meeting in public of the board of directors of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/media/uwymb01c/board-public-jan2023-approved-public-minutes.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
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/
| # | 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. |
The search button is not accessible using the keyboard as it does not open the search box in the same way the mouse does At 200% zoom, the close button in the menu is not accessible 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. |
At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible on the hamburger menu At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus becomes lost within the hamburger menu. The keyboard tabs through the menu when it is closed The keyboard focus is not visible on the magnifying glass |
| 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 and in mobile view, the hamburger menu does not reflow to fit the webpage once it is open |
| Issue:4 |
Users should be able to navigate a web page in an order that makes sense. Keyboard navigation should reflect a navigation sequence that is consistent with the meaning of content. Logical navigation reduces confusion and shows logical relationships between content and components. The focus order may differ from the visual reading order as long as a user can still understand the web page without sight. |
The keyboard tabs through the webpage before tabbing into the pop up box that advises 'Our hospitals are extremely busy – please help us to help you'. This may be confusing for the users After tabbing from 'View all news headlines', the keyboard tabs into the cookie banner, skipping links in the footer. This may be confusing for the user |
| Issue:5 | 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. |
The buttons for 'Learn more' and 'Accept' have poor colour contrast in the cookie banner at the bottom of the webpage The 'Last updated' text does not have sufficient colour contrast. This is pale grey text on a white background |
| Issue:6 | WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: <li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>. Issue found using Deque Axe. Screen readers tell users if a list is present and how many items are in the list. This helps users to know what they are reading and what to expect. It is important to use the correct semantic hierarchy for lists. Ordered, unordered and description lists must contain semantically correct parent and child elements. When lists contain other elements or they are ordered incorrectly, screen readers are not able to read the lists accurately. |
This refers to the individual links across the webpage, including 'Visiting Information'. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: List item does not have a <ul>, <ol> parent element |
| Issue:7 | WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Issue found using Deque Axe. Screen readers tell users if a list is present and how many items are in the list. This helps users to know what they are reading and what to expect. It is important to use the correct semantic hierarchy for lists. Ordered, unordered and description lists must contain semantically correct parent and child elements. When lists contain other elements or they are ordered incorrectly, screen readers are not able to read the lists accurately. |
This refers to multiple links across the webpage, including: 'Visiting information' and 'Services'. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following:List element has direct children that are not allowed: a |
| Issue:8 | 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. |
This refers to all content across the webpage. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices |
Get in touch page issues
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/get-in-touch
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | The search button is not accessible using the keyboard as it does not open the search box in the same way the mouse does At 200% zoom, the close button in the menu is not accessible using the keyboard |
|
| Issue:2 | At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible on the hamburger menu At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus becomes lost within the hamburger menu. The keyboard tabs through the menu when it is closed The keyboard focus is not visible on the magnifying glass The keyboard focus is not visible on the dropdown menus under 'Get in touch' |
|
| Issue:3 | At 400% zoom and in mobile view, the hamburger menu does not reflow to fit the webpage once it is open |
|
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
The 'Last updated' text does not have sufficient colour contrast. This is pale grey text on a white background |
| Issue:5 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
This refers to all content across the webpage. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices |
Accessibility statement page issues
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us/information-governance/website-accessibility/
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | The search button is not accessible using the keyboard as it does not open the search box in the same way the mouse does At 200% zoom, the close button in the menu is not accessible using the keyboard |
|
| Issue:2 | At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible on the hamburger menu At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus becomes lost within the hamburger menu. The keyboard tabs through the menu when it is closed The keyboard focus is not visible on the magnifying glass |
|
| Issue:3 | At 400% zoom and in mobile view, the hamburger menu does not reflow to fit the webpage once it is open |
|
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
The 'Last updated' text does not have sufficient colour contrast. This is pale grey text on a white background |
| Issue:5 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
This refers to all content across the webpage. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices |
About us page issues
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | The search button is not accessible using the keyboard as it does not open the search box in the same way the mouse does At 200% zoom, the close button in the menu is not accessible using the keyboard |
|
| Issue:2 | At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible on the hamburger menu At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus becomes lost within the hamburger menu. The keyboard tabs through the menu when it is closed The keyboard focus is not visible on the magnifying glass |
|
| Issue:3 | At 400% zoom and in mobile view, the hamburger menu does not reflow to fit the webpage once it is open |
|
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
The 'Last updated' text does not have sufficient colour contrast. This is pale grey text on a white background |
| Issue:5 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
This refers to all content across the webpage. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices |
News page issues
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/news
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | The search button is not accessible using the keyboard as it does not open the search box in the same way the mouse does At 200% zoom, the close button in the menu is not accessible using the keyboard |
|
| Issue:2 | At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible on the hamburger menu At 200% zoom, the keyboard focus becomes lost within the hamburger menu. The keyboard tabs through the menu when it is closed The keyboard focus is not visible on the magnifying glass |
|
| Issue:3 | At 400% zoom and in mobile view, the hamburger menu does not reflow to fit the webpage once it is open |
|
| Issue:4 | WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. |
The 'Last updated' text does not have sufficient colour contrast. This is pale grey text on a white background |
| Issue:5 | WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. |
This refers to all content across the webpage. To solve this problem, you need to fix the following: user-scalable on <meta> tag disables zooming on mobile devices |
Meeting in public of the board of directors of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust issues
https://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/media/uwymb01c/board-public-jan2023-approved-public-minutes.pdf
| # | Issue and description | Where the issue was found |
|---|---|---|
| Issue:1 | 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. |
There are tables in the document that are not correctly marked up |
Your accessibility statement
As part of the regulations you must publish an accessibility statement.
An accessibility statement for the website was found but:
-
accessibility issues were found during the test that were not included in the statement
-
mandatory wording is missing
-
it must link directly to the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) website
-
in 2020 the GOV.UK sample template was updated to include an extra mandatory piece of information to outline the scope of your accessibility statement. This needs to be added to your statement.
More information about accessibility statements can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps.
A sample statement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sample-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 the issues that were found and do your own accessibility audit to check for issues that go beyond the scope of simple accessibility testing.
You need to review your accessibility statement to cover the issues found in this report, including ones related to your accessibility statement, and any other accessibility issues found during your own site audit.
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.