Accessibility – NHS COVID-19 app support

Accessibility statement for the NHS COVID-19 app

This accessibility statement explains how accessible the NHS Covid-19 mobile application (app) is, what to do if you have difficulty using it and how to report accessibility problems with the app.

The NHS COVID-19 app was developed by the Department for Health and Social Care, and is run by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). We want as many people as possible to be able to use the app

The NHS Covid-19 app is a native app built for Apple iOS and Android devices. This means you can use the built-in accessibility settings on your phone:

The more people download and use the app, the more cases of coronavirus can be prevented. Additionally we recognise and respect the wide range of people it is here to support. To support the breadth of users, and make it easier for everyone, we have made the text in the NHS Covid-19 App as simple as possible to understand.

Adapting the content to your specific needs

If you have a disability or other specific access need, you can adapt the content of the app using your device to make it easier for you. AbilityNet has advice to help you make your device easier to use.

The accessibility of the NHS COVID-19 app

Our intention from the outset of the NHS COVID-19 app has been to meet Level AA success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1.

When it was last audited 21 June 2021 it did comply with all criteria of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, to the AA level.

The app is subject to constant revision due to changing medical advice and NHS guidance to reduce the risks to individuals of contracting or spreading coronavirus. It is being regularly tested with disabled users as new functionality, journeys or content are added or revised, to help ensure it is accessible, usable and supportive of a very broad range of users’ needs.

How to request content in an accessible format

If you need information about the NHS Covid-19 app in a different format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or Braille:

Email:

nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Reporting accessibility problems in the NHS Covid-19 App

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this app. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page, or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, then please email nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk to report the problem.

It is important for us that the app is available across all communities and supportive of people with specific access needs, including but not limited to those who have sight or hearing loss, physical disabilities, who think or learn differently, or have chronic or mental health challenges.

Whilst being inclusive for all, we would like to acknowledge and recognise the British Sign Language (BSL) community. We know that for some people who primarily use sign language, English is your second language. We have worked to ensure the language in the app, website and key marketing / communications material are clear and simple for all users to understand including those who are non-native English speakers. The content has been written to a reading level of 8 years of age. We have also translated our most important two communications pieces into BSL. Our 60 second video outlines all the features of the app and you can also watch a demo of the app and how to use it.

We have explored translation of the app into BSL as another language, however the complexity of implementing a media player in every screen has not made this possible to date. In our ongoing usability research including with people who are Deaf BSL users, we will continue to learn how we can support this important community.

The app will be updated from time to time with new functionality and improvements. The latest version of the app offers the best protection against coronavirus (COVID-19), so it’s important to keep it updated.

Enforcement procedure

If you have had a difficulty regarding accessibility of the app and are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) if you live in Northern Ireland.

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’).

Technical information about the NHS COVID-19 app’s accessibility

UKHSA is committed to making the NHS COVID-19 app accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

We are pleased to confirm that we have complied with Level AA conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1.

We have 3 advisory issues that are noted below that pass the accessibility guidelines but might result in access issues for some users. We are investigating solutions for these where technically feasible.

The advisory issues are:

Native components not used for certain elements

In some instances, native components are not used for some elements and are instead replicated using other components. For example, as iOS does not have checkboxes (and instead uses toggle switches), checkboxes are often replicated using buttons.

In Android, some non-standard buttons are used and these are not announced as buttons by TalkBack. They are, however, announced as actionable.

Content grouping

In some instances, several paragraphs of text are grouped together and will be read out loud as a single, continuous block by a screen reader (potentially overwhelming users).

Alert notification can interrupt speech

In Android, a notification that says “loading” can appear at random. This interrupts the reading of text by the TalkBack reader as it will read the "loading" notification before returning to other content. This is a functional bug and we are investigating solutions.

Disproportionate burden

No accessibility issues have been unaddressed due to a disproportionate burden.

How we tested the NHS COVID-19 app

The NHS COVID-19 app for Apple iOS and Android devices was initially tested for accessibility compliance on 17 September 2020 and updates to the app were checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 Standard, AA level on [2nd March 2021].

We regularly test updates to the app with users. For these usability tests we specifically include a broad range people including disabled and older users with physical, sensory and cognitive access needs. This is conducted by our specialist inclusive research partner, Open Inclusion.

This statement was originally prepared on 12 August 2020. It was last updated on 24th February 2022.

Mailbox for Accessibility Queries:app-policy@dhsc.gov.uk

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are continuously looking to improve the design and usability of the app. This is being guided by user research and testing to support us with both technical compliance and to meet user needs.

We're committed to regular audits of the app by independent specialist assessors.

Accessibility statement for the NHS COVID-19 app's QR generator website

Accessibility statement for the NHS COVID-19 app’s QR generator website

This accessibility statement explains how accessible the NHS Covid-19 mobile application’s QR generator website is, what to do if you have difficulty using it and how to report accessibility problems related to the QR generator website.

The QR generator website is run by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). We have therefore made the text in the QR generator website as simple as possible to understand.

If you have a disability, AbilityNet has advice to help you make your device easier to use.

How accessible this website is

The QR generator website has met the success criteria of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AAA standard. There are two points to note:

A known bug within iOS Voiceover means that when a page first loads, the page title is not read instead it reads out the “skip link” content. Similarly, this effects error pages where page load errors may not be read out. This issue is resolved if using a desktop screen reader.
JavaScript is required to be enabled for the website to work.

How to request content in an accessible format

If you need information about the QR generator website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or Braille:

Email:

nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Reporting accessibility problems in the NHS Covid-19 app’s QR Generator Website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of the app and the QR generator website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page, or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, then please email nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk to report the problem.

Enforcement procedure

If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) if you live in Northern Ireland.

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’).

Technical information about the NHS Test and Trace app’s QR Generator Website accessibility

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

Compliance status

The QR generator website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) 2.1 at Level AAA standard.

Non-accessible content

Not applicable

Disproportionate burden

No accessibility issues have been unaddressed due to a disproportionate burden.

How we tested the NHS Covid-19 QR Generator website

The QR generator website was last tested on 3 September 2020 and was checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 Standard, AAA Level and was tested in full by Phil Sherry, Accessibility Engineer.

This statement was prepared on 31 July 2020. It was last updated on the 20 September 2020.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are continuously looking to improve the design and usability of the QR generator website. This is being guided by user research and testing to support us with both technical compliance and to meet user needs.

We're committed to regular audits of the app and website by independent specialist assessors.

Accessibility statement for the covid19.nhs.uk website support

This accessibility statement applies to the COVID-19 App support website.

This website is run by the NHS Business Services Authority. 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 functionality
zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of NVDA)

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 this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible, as:

any other language apart from English is not supported by NVDA screen reader, therefore the tool will not be able to read any text to the user.
any other language apart from English is not supported by Dragon speech recognition, therefore the tool will not be able to recognise the language and act accordingly.
some links from the website will direct users to external websites where accessibility issues have been identified. This may cause difficulties to users with accessibility needs or those that use assistive technologies.
some of the videos have the caption button disabled and this will not show any subtitles while audio/Video is on.

How to request content in an accessible format

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

Email: nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

This inbox is only for accessibility queries. This inbox is not for technical queries or IT problems. If you have a query that is not about accessibility, go to the ‘Contact us’ section of this page.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, you can contact us by:

Email: nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

This inbox is only for accessibility queries. This inbox is not for technical queries or IT problems. If you have a query that is not about accessibility, go to the ‘Contact us’ section of this page.

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).

Contact us

For all queries not accessibility related, you can contact us by:

Email: simon.pulmanjones@test-and-trace.nhs.uk

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The NHS Business Services Authority 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 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliance listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Any other language apart from English is not supported by NVDA screen reader, therefore the tool will not be able to read any text to the user.

Any other language apart from English is not supported by Dragon speech recognition, therefore the tool will not be able to recognise the language and act accordingly.

Some links from the website will direct users to external websites where accessibility issues have been identified. This may cause difficulties to users with accessibility needs or those that use assistive technologies.

Some of the videos have the caption button disabled and this will not show any subtitles while audio/Video is on. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.2 (Captions).

We plan to fix these accessibility issues by May 2022. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure it meets accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We’re committed to making sure this website is compliant to WCAG 2.1 'AA' standard.

Our accessibility compliance statement will be reviewed every 6 months. Every new released website will be designed, built and tested to meet ‘AA’ standards by default.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 29 May 2021. It was last reviewed on 31 March 2022.

This website was last tested on 31 March 2022. The test was carried out by the NHSBSA test team.

We tested all of the website screens to meet 'AA' WCAG 2.1 standards, using manual and automated tests.

We run each webpage through automated Wave, Lighthouse and Axe accessibility tools then manually test with screen readers (NVDA) and standards checklists.

We run representative user journey tests through speech recognition software (Dragon).

These checklists contain standards that have been compiled using WCAG, the NHS service manual and the Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance.

Accessible documents policy for the covid19.nhs.uk website

This policy explains how accessible the documents on the covid19.nhs.uk website are.

Using our documents

The covid19.nhs.uk website publishes documents in PDF format.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these documents but if you find any issues with accessibility then please let us know.

How accessible our documents are

New documents we publish and documents you need to download should be fully accessible.

However, we know that some of our documents are not fully accessible at present. For example, some of them:

have missing page titles, headings, lists and data tables
do not identify the language setting
have plugins that are missing HTML alternatives
have missing page regions
are not structured properly
do not provide running headers and footers - this may cause difficulties to users with cognitive limitations, screen-reader users and low-vision magnifier users
do not contain bookmarks - this may cause difficulties to users of assistive technologies

If you need to access information in another document type, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.

How to request content in an accessible format

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

Email:

nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, you can contact us by:

Email:

nhscovid-19accessibilityissue@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

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

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Business Services Authority are committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The documents the Department of Health and Social Care and the Business Services Authority 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

Some of our documents have missing page titles, headings, lists and data tables. This means users with screen readers may not be able to follow the structure of a document, which in turn may affect their ability to access and understand the information. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
The document language setting is missing in some documents so the language of the document is not identified. Identifying the language of the page allows screen readers to read the content in the appropriate language. It also facilitates automatic translation of content. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of page).
An unidentified plugin is present in some of our documents. Plugins allow the introduction of non-HTML content, like media players. Because of limitations in non-HTML content, these often introduce accessibility issues. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.7 (Low or no background audio)
No page regions or ARIA landmarks were found in some of our documents. Regions and ARIA landmarks identify significant page areas. It also facilitates automatic translation of content. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1(Info and relationships) & 2.4.1 (Bypass blocks)
Some of our documents are not structured properly. This means they may not be accessible for users using screen readers or other assistive technology. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role & value).
Some PDFs do not provide running headers and footers. This may cause difficulties to users with cognitive limitations, screen-reader users and low-vision magnifier users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.8 (Location) and 3.2.3 (Consistent Navigation).
Some PDFs do not contain bookmarks. This may cause difficulties to users of assistive technologies. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways).

We plan to either fix or replace them with accessible alternatives by November 2020.

How we tested our documents

We last tested our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by the NHSBSA test team.

We decided to test these types of document, as aside from HTML, these are the most commonly used document formats on the covid19.nhs.uk website.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We’re committed to making sure our documents are compliant to WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

Our accessible documents policy will be reviewed every month. Every new released document will be designed, built and tested to meet 'AA' standards by default.

This accessible document policy was prepared on 18 May 2020. It was last updated on 23 September 2020.

Resources about the NHS COVID-19 app and alternative formats