Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk 

This accessibility statement applies to midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk, which is managed by the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System. It includes information for the NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, you should be able to

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We aim to use plain English and make content easy to understand.

For guidance on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, visit AbilityNet.

Additional support and guidance:

Language translation

We do not use a third-party translation tool on this website, as most modern browsers include automatic translation features. These can be accessed via your browser’s settings or by right-clicking on a page.

We recognise that professional translation services may be more accurate for critical health information. If you need help accessing content in another language, please contact us directly.

How accessible is this website?

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

  • some pages and documents use complex language
  • some documents may have poor colour contrast
  • many PDF documents are not fully accessible

We are working to address these issues.

Feedback and contact information

Should you experience issues accessing the website or wish to provide positive feedback on the site’s accessibility, please:

We aim to respond to your queries within 28 days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

If you find any accessibility issues not listed here, or believe we are not meeting accessibility standards, please email [email protected].

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

Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System 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

As of November 2023, a Government Digital Service spot assessment found the website to be compliant with Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

An independent audit in May 2024 carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre found the site to be compliant with WCAG 2.1 up to AA standard. View our certificate of compliance.

In July 2025, our web development partner, Mixd, conducted an additional accessibility assessment against WCAG 2.2. This identified a number of technical issues which have since been resolved. We are continuing to build on this work to meet the latest standards and ensure the website remains accessible and user-friendly.

Some issues remain with PDF documents, particularly complex files. We are actively working through these to ensure essential documents meet accessibility requirements, and we are reducing the number of PDFs published on the website as part of our broader accessibility improvement programme.

Non accessible content

Some of the documents on our website are not fully accessible. This includes issues such as missing text alternatives for images and a lack of clear document structure, which means they may not work well with screen readers or other assistive technologies.

For example, our Board papers may not meet accessibility standards because they are not always structured in a way that makes them easy to navigate for screen reader users. This does not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2.

We are actively working to reduce the number of PDFs on our website and are prioritising accessibility in all new content. However, we recognise there is still more to do. We are currently undertaking a full website refresh to reflect the new NHS structure and the updated boundaries for Integrated Care Boards in England. This work is due to be completed by 1 April 2026.

Under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, we are not required to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services.

With a few exceptions, all new PDF and Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards. Where a document is not accessible, we will make this clear and advise users on how to request an alternative version.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Third-Party content

We cannot take responsibility for third-party content or functionality that we are legally required to display. However, for content we control, we strive to meet accessibility standards.

Third party platforms

We use third-party applications to deliver some website functions, including:

  • eshot – email subscription overlay

We cannot guarantee the accessibility of third-party tools or content we are legally required to include. However, where we have control, we strive to meet accessibility standards.

Improvements and audits

At NHS Mid and South Essex, accessibility is a shared responsibility across all teams. We are committed to:

  • considering accessibility from the start of every project
  • making accessibility a team-wide responsibility
  • co-producing content with disabled users and people with lived experience
  • carrying out regular accessibility audits and user testing
  • designing and building to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, in line with NHS Digital policy

Our website is built following the NHS digital service manual, which guides NHS organisations in creating accessible, user-centred services.

We work with Mixd and the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) to improve accessibility.

While UK legislation does not require Level AAA compliance, we aim to meet as many Level AAA success criteria as practicable, to ensure the most inclusive experience possible.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was first prepared on 7 June 2022 and last reviewed on 8 August 2025. The website was last tested on 10 July 2025 by Mixd.

To request a copy of the full independent accessibility test report, please email [email protected].