This accessibility statement applies to users who advertise and recruit for job vacancies on the NHS Jobs website.
This website is run by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). 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.
- zoom up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard.
- navigate the website using speech recognition software (including the most recent version of Dragon and Voice Control)
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of 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 this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible, as:
- on some pages, primary navigation bar menu options disappear or are inconsistent when zoomed in 200% or more
- redundant links are present on some pages which will result in extra navigation and repetition for keyboard and screen reader users
- on some pages, navigating the dropdown menu with the keyboard can trigger a page change which may confuse the keyboard and screen reader users
- screen reader users may experience difficulties in identifying elements, as invalid ARIA roles are assigned to some elements
- on most of the pages, skip links shift the user focus to the main content but the focused content is not highlighted - this may cause difficulties for users to identify which element the focus has been shifted to
- on some pages, the error links will not take the user to the input field that is causing the error
- on some pages, the change link will not take the user to intended input fields
- on some pages, the page title and page heading are not the same which may cause confusion to screen reader users
- the error messages on reporting screens will not be recognised by speech recognition tools like Dragon
- screen reader users may experience difficulties with identifying heading, list, tables and reading order as it is not tagged properly in the PDF documents downloaded from the NHS Jobs website
- screen reader users will have difficulties switching to the appropriate language as the primary text language of the PDF document is not specified
- users will have difficulties identifying titles in the downloadable PDF documents
- PDF documents that are downloaded do not follow a logical order when using the Tab or Shift-Tab keys to navigate, which will cause difficulties for users navigating with a keyboard
- PDF documents that are downloaded contains images with no alternate text which will cause difficulties for screen reader users
- on some pages, focus does not move to the error message dialog box from the selected input field upon resubmission of the same form - this may cause difficulties for the user to select the intended web element while resubmitting the same form
- on some pages, error message links are shown in an incorrect position, like below the page heading - this may cause difficulties for the user to understand the navigational consistency
- on some pages, error message links shift the focus to the correct input field but outside the screen view area -this may cause difficulties for users to find the web element where actually focus shifted
- on some pages error message links are shown in an incorrect position on the page -this may lead the user to incorrectly operate the functionality
- on some pages, focus is not visible after tabbing and the page does not scroll to focus on the tabbed fields -this may cause difficulties for users to identify which element the focus has been shifted to
- on some pages, the focus contrast obscures the page view and page elements -this may cause difficulties for users to read the page content
- on some pages, test is automatically populating original text and making it unclear - this may make it difficult for the user to enter the correct value
- on some pages, focus is going to non-functional fields - this may cause difficulties for the user to navigate between functional areas of the page
- many features on the website need to be accessibility-reviewed to make sure they’re implemented correctly for users with accessibility needs
- the structure of the pages needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines
- the use of aria labels on the website needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines
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: accessibility@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
This email address is only for accessibility queries. It 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: accessibility@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
This email address is only for accessibility queries. It 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.
Contact us
For all queries not accessibility related, you can contact us by:
Email: nhsbsa.nhsjobs@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 this website’s accessibility
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 2.2 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
On some pages, the primary navigation bar menu options disappear or are inconsistent when zoomed in 200% or more. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.10 (Zoom and reflow).
Redundant links are present on some pages which will result in extra navigation and repetition for keyboard and screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose).
On some pages, navigating the dropdown menu with the keyboard can trigger a page change which may confuse the keyboard and screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.1.1 (Keyboard) and 3.2.2 (On Input).
Screen reader users may experience difficulties in identifying elements, as invalid ARIA roles are assigned to some elements. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
On most of the pages, skip links shift the user focus to the main content but the focused content is not highlighted. This may cause difficulties for users to identify which element the focus has been shifted to. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) and 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
On some pages, the error links will not take the user to the input field that is causing the error. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification).
On some pages, the change link will not take the user to intended input fields. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (Tab Indexes)
On some pages, the page title and page heading are not the same which may cause confusion to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
The error messages on reporting screens will not be recognised by speech recognition tools like Dragon. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 3.3.1 (Error identification) and 3.3.3 (Error Suggestion)
Screen reader users may experience difficulties with identifying heading, list, tables and reading order as it is not tagged properly in the PDF documents downloaded from the NHS Jobs website. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence).
Screen reader users will have difficulties to switch to appropriate language as the primary text language of the document is not specified. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of Page).
Users will have difficulties identifying titles in the downloadable PDF documents. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
The PDF documents that are downloaded do not follow a logical order when using the Tab or Shift-Tab keys to navigate, which will cause difficulties for users navigating with a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order).
The PDF documents that are downloaded contains images with no alternate text which will cause difficulties for screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value)
On some pages, focus is not moving to the error message dialog box from the selected input fields upon resubmission of the same form. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 3.3.1 (Error identification) and 3.3.3 (Error suggestion) and 3.2.1 (On Focus).
On some pages, error message links are shown in an incorrect position, like below the page heading. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error identification).
On some pages, error message links shift the focus to the correct input fields but outside the screen view area. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
On some pages, error message links are shown in an incorrect position on the page. This may lead the user to incorrectly operate the functionality. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 3.3.1 (Error identification), 2.4.3 (Focus Order), 3.2.3 (Consistent Navigation).
On some pages, focus is not visible after tabbing and the page does not scroll to focus on the tabbed elements. This may make it difficult for users to identify which element the focus has been shifted to. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
On some pages, the focus contrast obscures the page view and page elements. This may cause difficulties for users to read the page content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 (Focus Appearance).
On some pages, test is automatically populating on original text and making it unclear. This may cause difficulties for the user to enter the correct value. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.5 (Identity (Input Purpose) and 3.3.7 (Redundant Entry).
On some pages, focus is going to non-functional fields. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.
We plan to fix these accessibility issues. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure it meets accessibility standards.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Many features on the website need to be accessibility-reviewed to make sure they’re implemented correctly for users with accessibility needs.
The structure of the website screens needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines.
The use of aria labels on the website needs to be reviewed to make sure they meet accessibility guidelines.
PDFs and other documents
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.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Document Upload
Due to an issue with Dragon and some older versions of this assistive technology, users will have difficulties interacting with the document upload buttons. We advise Dragon users to use the mouse grid to interact with the file upload feature.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We’re committed to making sure this website is compliant to WCAG 2.2 ‘AA’ standard.
Our accessibility compliance statement will be reviewed regularly. Every newly released website will be designed, built, and tested to meet ‘AA’ standards by default.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was originally prepared on 17 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 27 September 2024.
This website was last tested on 20 September 2024.
The test was carried out by the NHSBSA test and development teams. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
We tested all the website screens to meet ‘AA’ WCAG 2.2 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 or VoiceOver) and standards checklists.
We run representative user journey tests through speech recognition software (Dragon or Voice Control).
These checklists contain standards that have been compiled using WCAG, the NHS service manual and the Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance.