Accessibility Statement for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
This accessibility statement applies to https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/.
At Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust we are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all and are actively working to improve our website to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
We review the website regularly to identify and address accessibility issues, aiming to provide an inclusive experience for all users.
How accessible this website is
While we are working hard to improve accessibility, we know that some elements of this website are not yet fully accessible to WCAG 2.2 AA standard. Current known issues impacting this website include:
- Issues with focus visibility at high zoom levels.
- Problems with reflow at 400% zoom and smaller screen sizes.
- The inability to pause, stop, or hide the homepage carousel.
- Content on hover or focus without a dismissal mechanism.
- Focus order issues where the cookie banner receives focus last.
- Some uploaded documents and reports that do not meet accessibility standards due to their age and format.
Details of these known issues are outlined below, along with the steps we are taking to address them.
Non-accessible content – Issues currently being addressed
- WCAG 2.4.7 (Focus Visible):
- At 200% zoom or more, once the ‘hamburger’ menu is expanded, the keyboard focus is not visible for one tab when moving between the close button and ‘About us’.
- Resolution in progress: This is being addressed by our web development team as part of our ongoing accessibility review work.
- Resolution Deadline: January 2025
- WCAG 1.4.10 (Reflow):
- At 400% zoom, ‘Settings’ content within the cookie banner does not reflow to fit the webpage.
- Placeholder text for ‘Enter keywords (e.g. “anxiety”)’ also does not reflow correctly at 400% zoom and in mobile view (320 x 256 pixels).
- Resolution in progress: This is being addressed by our web development team as part of our ongoing accessibility review work.
- Resolution Deadline: January 2025
- WCAG 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide):
- The carousel at the top of the webpage cannot be paused, stopped, or hidden.
- Resolution in progress: This is being addressed by our web development team as part of our ongoing accessibility review work.
- Resolution Deadline: January 2025
- WCAG 1.4.13 (Content on Hover or Focus):
- Navigation bar dropdown menus do not have a mechanism to dismiss additional content triggered without pointer hover or keyboard focus.
- Resolution in progress: This is being addressed by our web development team as part of our ongoing accessibility review work.
- Resolution Deadline: January 2025
- WCAG 2.4.3 (Focus Order):
- The focus order places the cookie banner last, meaning the banner covers content until it is selected.
- Resolution in progress: This is being addressed by our web development team as part of our ongoing accessibility review work.
- Resolution Deadline: January 2025
- Google reCAPTCHA
For security purposes, our online forms use Google reCAPTCHA v2, which is a version of a “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” (CAPTCHA).
CAPTCHAs are an important security tool used to prevent automated submission of form data by malicious software. Current known accessibility issues impacting reCAPTCHA include:
Non-Text Content (WCAG 2.2 SC 1.1.1):
- The visual and audio CAPTCHA challenges can be difficult for users with disabilities to perceive or operate, particularly for users with both visual and auditory impairments.
- If the audio CAPTCHA fails or is unavailable, it can completely block access.
Keyboard Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 SC 2.1.1):
- Some implementations of reCAPTCHA v2 do not function effectively with keyboard-only navigation. For instance, keyboard users may face challenges in selecting checkboxes or solving challenges.
Focus Order and Operability (WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.3):
- The focus management is sometimes inconsistent, and users may encounter difficulty navigating through the CAPTCHA elements using assistive technologies.
Motion Actuation (WCAG 2.2 SC 2.5.4):
- ReCAPTCHA relies on mouse-based gestures and movements, such as checking a box or solving puzzles, which may not be accessible to users relying on alternative input methods.
Error Prevention and Accessible Alternatives (WCAG 2.2 SC 3.3.4):
- reCAPTCHA does not always provide clear error recovery mechanisms or alternative challenges when issues arise (e.g., when a CAPTCHA is too difficult for the user).
User Authentication Timeout:
- The challenge can time out, forcing users to restart the process, which can be particularly burdensome for those using assistive technology.
Resolution Deadline: We will review the guidance on reCAPTCHA at least once a year, and implement any changes required to make the implementation of CAPTCHAs on our website more accessible.
If you find any form on our website to be unusable due to accessibility issues, please contact the BSMHFT Communications Team via bsmhft.commsteam@nhs.net.
- PDF documents and other downloadable files (WCAG 2.2 guideline 1.3)
- Some downloadable documents are not adaptable by the user to suit their needs.
- Some documents are designed for print, rather than publication on the web, but have been published on our websites as helpful content for service users and professionals to print locally.
Where documents have been designed specifically for print, the colours used do not always meet colour contrast requirements for web accessibility. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (contrast (minimum))
The formatting of these documents may make them difficult to use for users of assistive technology such as screen reader software, and for people using their keyboard to navigate the website. This fails WCAG 2.2 guideline 2.4 (navigable)
Where downloadable documents are made available in these formats and are not compliant, it is usually out of necessity, for the reasons stated. We will review further PDF documents before publication and will publish content in accessible formats where possible.
Disproportionate burden statement
Under The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (“The Regulations”), organisations are required to undertake an assessment for disproportionate burden where compliance with the regulations may not be feasible to achieve.
This report outlines the organisation’s assessment of disproportionate burden for the requirement of delivering compliance for the website (https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/) against all ‘The Regulation’ requirements including meeting the latest published version of WCAG AA requirements. At time of writing this is WCAG 2.2
Below we outline our disproportionate assessment process and decisions for https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Our organisation is committed to making our website and its content accessible to as many people as possible, in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard. However, after careful assessment, we have determined that making all documents on our website fully compliant would place a disproportionate burden on the organisation at this time.
Assessment of Disproportionate Burden
1. Older Documents
Many older documents (published prior to 23 Sept 2018) hosted on our website are exempt from the accessibility regulations under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
These documents are rarely accessed and updating them to be fully compliant would require significant financial resources and staff time with minimal return, as their content has limited ongoing relevance.
2. Board Reports and Complex Content Publications
Our organisation publishes bi-monthly board reports, which can extend to 500 pages and often include complex diagrams, graphs, charts, and data tables.
Making these documents fully compliant would require extensive resource allocation, potentially delaying their publication. Given the complexity of these reports, ensuring full compliance would be disproportionately time-consuming and costly.
However, we are actively working to improve the accessibility of these reports, including providing training to teams involved in their production to ensure future documents are as accessible as possible.
3. Essential Information Accessibility
All essential information about our organisation, including details related to service delivery and patient information, is provided on webpages that are fully compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA standards. This ensures that critical content is accessible to all users.
4. Addressing Accessibility Issues
Where significant accessibility issues are identified in documents that are of high interest and high usage, we will take steps to retrospectively update and improve them. Additionally, we encourage users to contact us if they experience barriers in accessing specific documents.
Commitment to accessibility
Our organisation remains committed to supporting the delivery of information in accessible formats. Upon request, we will provide documents in an accessible format, tailored to meet individual needs, wherever possible. This includes using alternative formats or providing assistance with understanding complex content.
We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our content and welcome feedback to help us identify areas for improvement. Please email bsmhft.commsteam@nhs.net or phone 0121 301 1111 if you require assistance or have suggestions to enhance accessibility on our website.
This statement was last reviewed: December 2024
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in an alternative format (e.g., accessible PDF, large print, audio recording, braille), please contact us: Email: bsmhft.commsteam@nhs.net
We’ll consider your request and respond within 30 days.
If you find accessibility issues not listed here or believe we are not meeting accessibility standards, please contact us at bsmhft.commsteam@nhs.net or phone 0121 301 1111.
For further support, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS):
www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the EHRC directly.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health 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.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the WCAG 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances and disproportionate burdens listed above.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
- Method used: This statement was prepared following an accessibility audit and ongoing internal testing.
- Date of preparation: December 2024
- Review schedule: This statement will be reviewed annually and was last updated on 10 December 2024.
If you have any questions or require further details, please contact us at bsmhft.commsteam@nhs.net or phone 0121 301 1111.
