Accessibility Statement

Birmingham Community Healthcare 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.

This accessibility statement applies to Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust website (www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk).

This website is run by Birmingham Community Healthcare 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 using browser or device settings;
zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen;
navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software;
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

We have 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.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliance(s) and/or the exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reason(s):

(a) non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Some elements, for example the Accessibility, Phone, Access a Portal header need to be converted to lists. This does not meet WCAG 1.3.1 (Semantic links).
Some pages feature images of text: WCAG 1.4.5 (Images of text).
The purpose of a hyperlink should be clear from the text inside the link. Some links appear as 'learn more', click here', or similar, and are not helpful to those using assistive technology: WCAG 2.4.4 (Link purpose).
Distance between slideshow dots on the homepage need to be increased: WCAG 2.5.8 (All touch targets must be 24px or leave sufficient space).
Sitemap link in Accessibility Tools requires a tag: WCAG 4.11 (Ensure lists are marked up correctly).
PDFs and other downloadable content:
- images of infographics, tables or charts should not be used: WCAG 1.1.1 (Non-text content);
- PDFs need to be tagged and in a valid reading order. This fails to meet WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships);
- sufficient colour contrast required between font and background colours: WCAG 1.4.3 (Contrast minimum);
- images of text should not be used: WCAG 1.4.5 (Images of text);
- all PDFs require a title: WCAG 2.4.2 (Page title).

All items will be reviewed before March 2025 and, where possible, fixed.

(b) disproportionate burden

PDFs and other downloadable content:

Our site contains PDFs and other document formats. For those not due to be updated, we do not intend to adapt these for accessibility, as this would create a disproportionate burden.

Our assessment of making these documents, particularly those contained in our We are BCHC and Corporate Information pages, into accessible formats is that:

there are over 350 documents within the We are BCHC and Corporate Information areas, comprising in excess of 25,000 pages;
each document would require substantial editing to be made fully accessible. Dependent on length and complexity of the documents, each could take anything from several hours to several days, or more, to rectify;
many documents contain complex items, such as tables, charts, infographics and diagrams. These are difficult and time-consuming to convert, particularly when edited retrospectively;
much of the content on our We are BCHC and Corporate Information pages is signed off externally, such as by Office of National Statistics. This content would require renewed sign off.

For future documents, key staff have now undertaken accessibility training and will implement a process by which PDFs, Word documents and downloadable resources produced by the Trust will be made as accessible as possible.

If information currently presented in a PDF or other downloadable file is required in an accessible format, please contact the Communications Team:

(c) the content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2018.
Live audio and video: captioning.
PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018.
Maps, both online (such as those embedded through Google Maps) and in documents, although essential information, such as addresses, should appear in accessible format.
Third party content controlled by external agencies.

If information currently presented in a PDF or other downloadable file is required in an accessible format, please contact the Communications Team:

What we're doing to improve accessibility

Our supplier, VerseOne Ltd, undertook a full audit of the website in 2025, with further audits planned over the coming year. Fixes will be applied as issues are highlighted.

Key staff at Birmingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have received training both on how to assess and rectify the accessibility of PDFs and other downloadable content. Future content added to the website will be made as accessible as possible to meet WCAG 2.2 requirements.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 19 February 2025.

The website was tested between December 2024 and January 2025 by VerseOne Ltd, who audited the site against all WCAG 2.2 A and AA success criteria.

Feedback and contact information

To notify Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust of any compliance failures and to request information and content excluded from the scope of the Directive, contact the Communications Team:

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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Accessibility Statement

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