Accessible documents policy

Accessible documents at the Department of Health and Social Care.

This policy explains how accessible the documents the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) publishes on GOV.UK are. It covers PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations and other types of document. It does not cover content published on GOV.UK as HTML: the main GOV.UK accessibility statement will cover that.

Using our documents

DHSC publishes documents in a range of formats, including:

  • PDF
  • Word
  • Excel
  • ODT (OpenDocument Text)
  • ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet)
  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:

  • provide an HTML option where possible
  • tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
  • make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
  • avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
  • write in plain English

How accessible our documents are

New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.

However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:

  • are not tagged properly – for example, they do not contain proper headings
  • contain images and diagrams that do not contain alternative text
  • are scanned documents and are not marked up in a way that allows screen reader users to understand them
  • include complex tables
  • are not written in plain English
  • are spreadsheets with merged cells, symbols and undefined tables

This mostly applies to PDFs and other documents published before 23 September 2018. These types of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible. In addition, DHSC is not obliged to amend documents that have not been updated or edited after 23 September 2019 and are not used for active administrative purposes, as outlined in the accessibility regulations.

But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.

What to do if you cannot use one of our documents

If you need a document we’ve published in a different format, email [email protected].

We’ll consider the request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: [email protected].

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

Technical information about the accessibility of our documents

DHSC is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The documents DHSC publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content)

Some of our documents have diagrams and charts that do not have a text alternative and some documents contain symbols. This information is therefore not available to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

Success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships)

Some of our documents are not properly tagged and do not identify headings, paragraphs or list items correctly. This means users using screen readers may not be able to follow the structure of a document, which may affect their ability to access and understand the information. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships).

Some of our documents contain complex tables with merged cells, frozen cells or blank rows. This makes it difficult for people using a screen reader to determine the correct reading order. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships).

Some links in our documents do not have descriptive link text. This makes it hard for users using assistive technology to understand what the link is for, and where they would be directed to if clicked. This does not meet the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose (in context)).

We plan to fix accessibility issues with content that’s in scope of the accessibility regulations as soon as we can.

Disproportionate burden

Some of our PDFs are not accessible but would be a disproportionate burden to update, such as those that are very long and used by a low number of people.

There are many historical spreadsheets associated with statistical publications which require amending to comply with accessibility regulations. DHSC has carried out an accessibility assessment for historical statistical spreadsheets.

Accessible versions of PDFs and spreadsheets will be provided if needed and can be requested by emailing [email protected].

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured to be accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

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. For example, we do not plan to fix DHSC annual report and accounts: 2017 to 2018.

Any documents that have not been updated or edited after 23 September 2019 and are not used for active administrative purposes are exempt from being amended, as outlined in the accessibility regulations.

Any new PDFs, Word documents or spreadsheets we publish will meet accessibility standards.

Some accessibility issues with documents published before September 2018 are listed below.

Success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content)

Some of our documents have diagrams and charts that do not have a text alternative and some documents contain symbols. This information is therefore not available to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

Success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships)

Some of our documents are not properly tagged and do not identify headings, paragraphs or list items correctly. This means users using screen readers may not be able to follow the structure of a document, which may affect their ability to access and understand the information. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships).

Some of our documents contain complex tables with merged cells, frozen cells or blank rows. This makes it difficult for people using a screen reader to determine the correct reading order. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships).

Success criterion 1.4.1: use of colour

A few of our documents contain diagrams that use colour to convey meaning. This means users with visual impairments will not be able to understand the meaning the colour is supposed to convey. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (use of colour).

Success criterion 1.4.5 (images of text)

Some of our documents contain images of text to convey information, rather than plain text. This means users either using a text-only browser or using assistive technology may not be able to understand the image of text. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.5 (images of text).

Success criterion 2.4.2 (page titled)

Some of our documents do not have descriptive titles. They show the file name in the browser. This makes it hard for users to navigate and find the content they need. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (page titled).

Some links in our documents do not have descriptive link text. This makes it hard for users using assistive technology to understand what the link is for, and where they would be directed to if clicked. This does not meet the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose (in context)).

How we tested our documents

We last tested a sample of our documents during July and August 2020. The test was carried out by DHSC’s digital content team.

We tested:

  • PDFs
  • Word documents
  • ODT (OpenDocument Text)

We decided to test these types of document as these are the most commonly used document formats in DHSC. We tested these documents based on how often people look at them.

Spreadsheets associated with statistical publications were tested in April 2022, as part of the disproportionate burden assessment for accessibility of historical statistical spreadsheets.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

DHSC is:

  • creating documents as HTML rather than PDF where possible
  • converting existing documents to HTML content focusing on our most used content
  • improving awareness and understanding about accessibility and inclusive writing across the department
  • including accessibility as part of our ‘second pair of eyes’ checking process before publishing
  • including guidance on making documents accessible in our templates
  • ensuring our templates are used correctly for content that cannot be published in HTML format

This page was prepared on 23 September 2020. It was last updated on 11 April 2022.

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