Accessibility statement

This website has been designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (known as WCAG 2.2), an internationally recognised set of recommendations for improving web accessibility.

Accessibility statement for the NHS Data Model and Dictionary

This page was last updated on 10 February 2025. It is being reviewed against the latest website accessibility guidelines and will be updated shortly.

This accessibility statement applies to the NHS Data Model and Dictionary www.datadictionary.nhs.uk

This website is run by NHS England. 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 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.

Compliance statement

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 - non-compliance with regulations (if applicable)

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

Keyboard navigation

  • The dropdown menus from the navigational menu along the top of the webpage are not accessible using the keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.1.1 Keyboard.

    Keyboard users can still access the same content; by pressing enter on a navigational menu item, this will load the webpage for that menu item with a content menu available for selection on the left of the webpage.

    A solution to make the navigational menu more accessible using the keyboard is being explored by our third-party supplier in November 2024. Updates will be shared on this statement when available.

  • The back to the top button is not accessible using the keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.1.1 Keyboard.

    Keyboard users can still access the same content:

    On Windows, the ‘Home’ and ‘End’ keys to go to the top and bottom of a page, respectively.

    On Mac, the ‘Command + Up Arrow’ and ‘Command + Down Arrow’ keys in combination go to the top of the page, respectively.

    An investigation is planned into making this function available or the overall experience equitable across all users.
  • The keyboard focus is not visible on the 'Skip content' button as the keyboard user tabs onto the webpage. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.7 Focus Visible.

    An investigation is planned into making this function visible.
  • At 400% zoom, the keyboard focus is not visible as it tabs through all elements across the webpage. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.7 Focus Visible.

    An investigation is planned into making this function visible.
  • When hovering over the navigation bar dropdown menus, there is no mechanism to dismiss the additional content triggered without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus.

    A solution to make the navigational menu more accessible using the keyboard is being explored by our third-party supplier in November 2024. Updates will be shared on this statement when available.

Hidden buttons not named correctly

  • This refers to hidden buttons for all 4 links listed under 'Help and guidance' and all 4 links listed under 'About the NHS Data Model and Dictionary' pages. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA commands must have an accessible name.

    An investigation is planned into resolving this issue.

PDFs documents

Documents that are hosted on the website and are under the administration of the service are primarily formatted in a PDF. The types of documents affected are Data Dictionary Change Notice (DDCN). Other documents linked from this website, i.e. Information Standards, are not within the control of the NHS Data model and Dictionary Service.

The NHS England User Centred Design team have highlighted that PDF formatted documents are generally limited in user accessibility.

We plan to investigate options to either fix PDF documents so that they are more accessible or replace/accompany them with a more accessible HTML version.

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

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, if there is a specific document that you would like to request in HTML format, we will do our best to oblige where possible and practicable.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

The statement was prepared on 26 November 2024.

The statement was last reviewed on 10 February 2025.

The Accessibility Monitoring Team at Government Digital Service have cited accessibility issues with the website. A full report of their findings is available here.

A further audit of the website test was carried out in December 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard by a third party called Dig Inclusion which is currently under review by NHS England. The audit covered content across all the main sections of the website. A full report of their findings is available here.

We are investigating and rolling out changes to the accessibility issues highlighted in by the Government Digital Service and Dig Inclusion for the website. We will update this page with new information about the improvements we make, which is planned for March 2025.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

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

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact information.standards@nhs.net to provide feedback or to request any further information about this statement. The NHS Data Model and Dictionary Service aim to respond to requests with 6 days.

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).