Accessibility Statement

Accessibility statement for The Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust’s website:www.coch.nhs.uk.  

This accessibility statement applies to www.coch.nhs.uk which is run by The Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust. We would like as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

People using the Trust’s website 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’ve 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.

How accessible is this website?

We know that this website is not fully accessible. For example:

  • The text will not reflow in a single column when you change the size of the browser window.
  • You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text.
  • Most PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Live video streams do not have captions.
  • Our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard.
  • You cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader.
  • Currently, text cannot be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or function i.e using horizontal scroll bars.
  • At the moment, you cannot change the colour contrast making it difficult to see the content properly, especially across headings, banners, page menus.
  • Links used on the website do not have accessible or discernible text explaining what the links are for and where they will redirect you to on the webpage
  • Images now have text content describing the image to anyone with sight loss or difficulty seeing, however this may not be picked up by screen readers due to software limitations
  • It is difficult to magnify the map on our ‘contact us’ page. This content has now moved to the ‘visiting us/planning your visit’ page and the map has been updated. Although the map can be viewed online and has zoom capability, it cannot be read by online readers as it’s not recognised as text.

Currently it is not possible to do the things listed above but we are making improvements where we can to make the website more accessible. However, due to the age of the site and the software it uses, our ability to do this is limited. The technology our website uses is out of date and was created in 2011 using software (Umbraco 4) which is now unsupported. We are therefore planning to replace the current website with a new site that will fully meet all accessibility requirements, we aim to do this during 2024.

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us:

  • Email countess.countess.communications@nhs.net
  • Call 01244 362 102
  • Write to:
    Communications Team
    Moston Lodge
    Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust
    Countess of Chester Health Park
    Liverpool Road
    Chester
    CH2 1UB

We will review your request and contact you direct.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘find us’ page which you can view here, please call our Patient Experience Team for directions. You can call the team on 0800 195 1241 (select option 2) or 01244 366066. You can also email the Patient Experience Team on coch.patientexperience@nhs.net.

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, please contact the Countess of Chester’s Communications Team:

Email: countess.communications@nhs.net

Tel: 01244 362102

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, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We have fixed and portable hearing loops available. If you require a British Sign Language (BSL) language interpreter or foreign language interpreter please contact the area you are visiting prior to your appointment. The Trust will book interpreters on your behalf and there will be no charge.

Please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 01244366066 or 08001951241 (option 2) or cochpals@nhs.net, Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Further information on how to contact the Trust can be found here.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Countess of Chester Hospital 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.

The Trust is currently planning a new website which will be built on new software to enable all accessibility standards to be met.

Compliance status

The Trust’s website does not meet the requirements of the WCAG 2.1 AA standard and therefore it is not compliant. The website is within scope of the regulations. The website is not compliant with the current standards due to the age of the site and software used to construct it. The non-compliances and exemptions are listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

This website is not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Some issues can be fixed such as adding alt text to images and assessing whether pdfs can be replaced with accessible pdfs or HTML pages however the software has limitations and so it may not be possible to rectify all these issues before a new website is launched. Images now have alt text added as of 20 November 2023. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

New PDFs added to the website will be assessed and upgraded to accessible pdfs.

The non-compliances are listed below:

  1. Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1
    a) Images now have alt text added as of 20 November 2023. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
  2. Our videos do not have captions or an adequate description, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1
    a) We are not able to add captions to videos because of the limitations of the existing website software or because the videos have been produced by a third party.
  3. Not all links on the site are contextual or working. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) and WCAG 4.1.2
    a) we have undertaken steps to identify those links that are either, broken, or incorrect the next steps of which are to cleanse the site to update all links appropriately. The Trust is working to resolve this issue and aims to fix as many occurrences as possible by 29 February 2024 and when adding new links, we will make sure that they are contextual.

Disproportionate burden

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and with interactive tools and transactions. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations as a result of software restrictions. The software is no longer supported and is unreliable and unable to support accessibility tools and software. To make the website accessible in time for the new standards is currently judged as a disproportionate burden due to budgetary and time constraints. However, a business case for a new website is nearing completion. The new site will be fully compliant with all required accessibility standards.

The non-compliances are listed below:

  1. Visual text, including text-based controls can’t 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% without loss of content or function. This is an issue because horizontal scrolling is required at 200%.
    This fails success criterion WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text
  2. 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. This is an issue because horizontal scrolling is required at 400% zoom.
    This fails success criterion WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow.
  3. 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.
    This fails success criterion WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum)
  4. Images must have alternate text. People with sight loss may not be able to see an image clearly on a page. Text alternatives can be used by screen readers to share the same information a sighted user would get from the image. The alternative text must describe the information or function represented by the image.
    This fails success criterion WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content – although efforts have been made to add alternative text where necessary due to software limitations this hasn’t always been achievable.
  5. All link names should be accessible by a screen reader and be descriptive enough to tell a user where that link will take them. All links should receive focus and link text should not be hidden as this will stop a screen reader from relaying the link information.
    This fails success criterion WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value – work is being carried out to amend all links where necessary.  

Navigation and accessing information.

  • The site is not fully keyboard accessible. Although some elements are navigable with a keyboard, the site loses focus when moving through the page with the keyboard.
  • Users will experience a keyboard trap whereby they are caught in a loop as they tab through options on the page using a keyboard.
  • There’s no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option).
  • Not all links on the site are contextual or working. However, we have undertaken steps to identify those links that are either, broken or incorrect the next steps of which are to cleanse the site to update all links appropriately.
  • Headings are generally consistent in size but other text in the body of some pages is inconsistent in size. The Trust is working to resolve this issue and aims to fix as many occurrences as possible by 29 February 2024.

Interactive tools and transactions

  • It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content. The website is not mobile optimised.
  • It’s not possible for users to change text size or colour.

Forms

  • There are not many interactive forms on the website but the ones that are available are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag or form instructions.
  • All of the images on the website have text alternatives added where we were able to do so. However, we are aware that this may not be accessible to all screen readers due to the limitations with the website software.

Images

Multimedia is also missing tags and so cannot be accessed by screen readers. We plan to add text alternatives by 29 February 2024 but are aware that limitations on the software could mean this remains inaccessible to some people.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

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. However we plan to update pdf documents (within the capabilities of the software which the website is built on) that were published after 23 September 2018 to make them more accessible. The Trust will endeavour to complete this by 29 February 2024 but due to the limitations and fragility of the website and the volume of documents to update, it may not be possible to complete this work by the date listed.

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. We plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages as part of our plan to replace the website with a new site.

Pre-recorded video

Our videos do not have captions or an adequate description. This means that the information in the videos is not available to people who cannot see or hear the content. We are not able to add captions to videos because of the limitations of the existing website software or because the videos have been produced by a third party. When the new website is launched, any video content would include captions and descriptions and meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

To improve the accessibility of the Trust’s website, we need to rebuild it using up to date software which will make it fully compliant with the new accessibility standards. Work has begun and we will update our patients and the public on progress. We aim to update all page links that are broken and remove or replace them so that users can navigate across the site with ease. Work has already begun on this.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 5 December 2023.

This website was last tested on 20 November 2023. The test was carried out internally by the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. A sample of pages was chosen to test which included: the home page, parent and child pages with links to external websites, pages with links to other pages on the same website, pages with documents that can be downloaded e.g. pdfs, pages with forms and pages which had images on them.