This page was updated June 2024.

Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to www.dgt.nhs.uk

This website is run by the Communications Team for Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

For example, that means:

  • 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 work hard to make the website text as simple to understand as possible but recognise that not all pages are currently written in plain English. There is advice available online to help you make your device easier to use if you have a disability, including from the AbilityNet Charity.

How accessible this website is

We are also working with Silktide Index to improve accessibility. Since the beginning of 2023 we have fixed many of issues allowing screen-readers and keyboard only users to navigate our site more smoothly. With this in mind, we are always looking to improve accessibility and there are some parts of this website which are not fully accessible.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact please contact our Communications Department. 

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

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 20 days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email dgn-tr.communications@nhs.net for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact the Communications Team on 01322 428255.

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).

Contacting the Trust by telephone or visiting in person

We provide interpreting and translation services. This can be in the form of face-to-face, video or telephone. If you need an interpreter, or information about the care you are receiving in the language or format of your choice, please use the contact details on your appointment letter to contact the hospital.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

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

The vast majority of our website works correctly on any web technology.

However, this website no longer supports Internet Explorer, as this browser is now at the end of its lifecycle. Read more about the withdrawal of IE support.

Translating Web Pages

The Trust does not use a specific translation service, please use the ReachDeck Toolbar (icon located at the top of this webpage) which provides a free and equivalent service.

  • Open a web browser and click on the ReachDeck Toolbar (the icon located at the top of this webpage).
  • Click on the 4th icon from the left (translate the page into a selected language)
  • Select from the drop down menu the language you wish to translate the webpage into.

Compliance status

This website is 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.

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. Any new PDFs or Word documents published are aimed to meet the accessibility standards.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The content that does not meet accessibility guidelines 2.1 AA is outlined below with details of:

Identified issues:

  • There is no pause button for the carousel at the top of the webpage (WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide)
  • Zooming and scaling disabled on mobile devices (WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text)
  • Not all link names are accessible by a screen reader and descriptive enough to tell a user where that link will take them (WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
  • Not all form elements have labels (WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
  • Some images include text (WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text)
  • PDF documents do not always have titles that describe the topic or purpose of a page (WCAG 2.4.2 Page titled)
  • PDF documents with elements that are missing alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text content)
  • A number of documents, mainly in PDF format, some of which are not fully accessible to screen reader software. 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 are working to change these or replace them with accessible HTML pages. The ReachDeck Toolbar does offer a PDF Reader (details below on how to use this).

  • Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).  We aim to publish new content that meets accessibility standards.

Live video

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

Please note: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of fixes, as some accessibility issues are still being identified.  Once identified we plan to be compliant by 30 December 2024.

Content that’s not within scope of the accessibility regulations

  • online maps - those embedded from digital mapping services such as Google Maps, and maps made available in formats such as PDF - are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. However, we will always attempt to provide as much related information as possible in text, e.g. postcodes and directions.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We plan to identify and fix issues on a continuous basis.

  • Work is continuing to remove documents which aren't needed as soon as possible. Where information is still required, we plan to republish it in HTML format
  • There are some documents designed for printing. These include our annual reports and Trust Board papers. We'll continue to offer these as PDFs together with a HTML page that includes a summary of the document where possible.

Preparation of this accessibility Statement

This statement was prepared on 31 July 2023. It was last reviewed on 31 July 2023. The website was tested on 30 June 2023.

We tested or assessed each piece of content as the website was built, using the following as reference:

We aim to regularly do audit of our content, design and code.

Disproportionate Burden Assessment for Documents

We acknowledge that some documents on our website are not fully accessible and that future documents may also fall short of full accessibility standards. Specifically, some documents are in less accessible formats, such as PDFs, which do not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).

Assessment of the Burden

  1. Volume of Documents:
    • Our website hosts a large number of PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
    • Each document must be reviewed for accessibility, a process that may require significant time and effort.
  2. Time Requirements:
    • The time required to make each document accessible ranges from two to thirty hours, depending on the document's length, complexity, and the need for formal sign-off.
  3. Complexity and Compilation:
    • Some documents, like board papers, are compiled by multiple contributors and must be made public shortly after completion.
    • Documents such as annual reports, which are part of our legislative duty as an NHS trust, require extensive checking and a formal approval process before republishing.
  4. Complex Elements:
    • Many documents include complex elements such as detailed tables, graphs, and diagrams, which are difficult to convert retrospectively into accessible formats.

Other Considerations

  • Focus on Essential Documents:
    • Our primary focus is to ensure new documents related to patient care and essential services are accessible and meet the needs of patients, carers, and the community.
  • Demand for Accessible Versions:
    • Interest in the documents within this assessment's scope is low. In 2023, we received zero requests for accessible versions of any published documents.
  • Provision of Accessible Versions:
    • We are committed to providing accessible versions of documents upon request.

Conclusion

We believe that converting all documents to fully accessible formats, given the low demand and significant staff time and costs involved, would represent a disproportionate burden on our Trust. We will continue to prioritise accessibility for new, critical documents and provide accessible versions upon request.

If you have any questions or need accessible versions of specific documents, please contact the Communication Department. Email: dgn-tr.communications@nhs.net