Accessibility

This website is run by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. We want as many people as possible to be able to use our services.

The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the site using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the site using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the site using a screen reader (including the most recent version of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

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

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Services covered by this statement

The statement applies to:

How accessible are our websites?

Parts of our websites are not fully accessible. These is because:

  • many older documents are in PDF format and are not fully accessible
  • some older Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents are not fully accessible
  • some links and buttons are not understandable out of context
  • some images do not have suitable alternative text
  • some forms use reCAPTCHA.

We do not assume responsibility for third party applications.

In March 2021 some NICE content on COVID-19 was published to the MAGIC website (https://app.magicapp.org), which is owned and operated by the MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation. NICE is not responsible for the operation of this website. As this website is not yet fully accessible, the NICE content will be published as soon as possible in an accessible PDF format.

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Feedback and contact information

We want everyone to get the best experience from this website. We’re working hard to improve digital accessibility. Please let us know if you:

  • would like to request alternative versions of our downloadable documents
  • find any accessibility problems that are not listed on this page
  • think there’s information we should include on this page
  • want to talk about how we’re improving accessibility.

We'll respond to your request within 18 days.

You can contact us by:

Email: nice@nice.org.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)300 323 0140

Or write to us at:

Enquiry handling team 
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 
Level 1A, City Tower
Piccadilly Plaza
Manchester
M1 4BT

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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).

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Visiting us in person

If you're attending a meeting in our offices, please contact the organiser before your visit. We have meeting rooms with audio induction loops available.

Members of our advisory committees, other ad hoc advisory groups, and our Fellows and Scholars are reimbursed for expenses incurred on NICE business. This includes having a carer, support worker, or other professional accompany you to a meeting. 

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Technical information about NICE.org.uk's accessibility

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.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Incorrect heading structures.
  • Empty headings.
  • Missing alternative text on images.
  • Incorrectly used or missing field sets.
  • Decorative and spacer images may not have null alternative text.
  • Embedded forms may not be accessible.
  • Embedded social media content may not be accessible.

We're working on these problems and aim to have fixed them December 2021.

Disproportionate burden

There are thousands of PDFs created before January 2019 that are not fully accessible. We're working on fixing these. We're prioritising the most frequently downloaded documents and those most clearly related to disability issues.

We aim to make documents important for providing our services accessible by September 2021.

Making some documents accessible would prove to be a disproportionate burden. These are:

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. We do not plan to fix documents such as:

  • Evidence reviews published before September 2018. An accessible evidence review template has been developed and will be implemented as guidelines are updated as part of our standard review and update process.
  • Visual summaries.

Audit

This website was last tested on April 2018. The test was carried out by The Shaw Trust.

We selected a sample of pages representing the different templates and layouts used across the site. We also included the most frequently accessed pages. The aim was to cover the different content, functions and processes that can be done on the website.

The next test is planned for October 2020.

Technical information about NICE Pathways' accessibility

Compliance status

This website is not 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.

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

NICE Pathways is an alternative presentation of NICE guidance and advice. All content included in NICE Pathways is also available in accessible format at nice.org.uk.

Audit

This website was last tested in July 2019. The test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC), which found it extremely complex and especially difficult to navigate if using a screen reader.

We provided DAC with the main user journeys. They tested the site to include these areas:

  • Homepage.
  • A-Z.
  • Recently viewed.
  • Help.
  • Leave feedback.
  • Search.
  • About.
  • Resources.
  • Information for the public (IFP).
  • Quality standards.
  • Topics.
  • Latest.

Technical information about CKS' accessibility

Compliance status

This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Audit

This website was last tested in May 2020. The test was carried out by our digital services team.

We selected a sample of pages that represented the different templates and layouts used across the site. We also included the most frequently accessed pages. The aim was to cover the different content, functions and processes that can be done on the website.

Technical information about BNF and BNFc's accessibility

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.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Heading order unclear.
  • Landmark wrapping.
  • Focus styling.
  • Skip links not working for keyboard navigation.

The site is currently under reconstruction to ensure accessibility. Our aim is that it will be accessible by 23 September 2020. We'll update this statement to reflect the changes following release.

Audit

This website was last tested in July 2020. The test was carried out by our digital services team.

We selected a sample of pages that represented the different templates and layouts used across the site. The aim was to cover the different content, functions and processes that can be done on the website.

Technical information about HDAS and Journals' accessibility

Compliance status

This website is not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Disproportionate burden

  • Missing headers.
  • Illogical focus order.
  • Some missing fieldsets and legends.
  • Inaccessible checkboxes without a mouse.
  • Missing ‘Skip to content’ link.
  • Unlabelled select element.
  • On-hover information not discoverable for some.
  • Some ambiguous buttons for screen readers.
  • Low colour contrast ratio.
  • No visible focus indicator around radio buttons.
  • Links opening in new window without informing users.

Independent auditors found HDAS and Journals to be extremely complex and difficult for users to navigate. It's especially difficult when visually impaired or using a screen reader.

This site is used by a small group of users for a very specific purpose. It will need a full redesign to achieve compliance. We've assessed the cost and believe that redesigning now would be a disproportionate burden. We will reassess this in 1 year when we consider the future of this service.

Audit

This website was last tested in December 2019. The test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre.

The audit was not possible in some areas due to the nature of this service and therefore the list of inaccessible content is not exhaustive.

Technical information about newsletter accessibility

We use Mailchimp to send our email newsletters, manage user subscriptions and to make past issues available. All emails are sent in a format that allows the recipient to choose whether to view the content as HTML or plain text.

Compliance status

The newsletter services 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

  • Incorrect heading structures.
  • Empty headings.
  • Missing alternative text on images.
  • Decorative and spacer images may not have null alternative text.
  • No landmarks for screen readers.
  • Unspecified page language.
  • Zooming and scaling is not possible on mobile devices.

Audit

This content was last tested on 21 September 2020. The testing was carried out by the NICE Digital Information and Technology team.

We tested all the different templates and layouts used to send email newsletters.

Technical information about Evidence Search's accessibility

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.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Sensory characteristics are the only indication of an action.
  • Contrast ratios too low.
  • Missing alt text on images.
  • Decorative and spacer images may not have null alternative text.
  • Not all the site is accessible for keyboard only users.
  • Bypass blocks are not available.
  • Cannot be navigated sequentially.
  • Links don't have individual purpose to give context to the user.
  • Headings and labels do not describe the purpose.
  • Labels do not contain instructions.
  • Inaccessibile documents.
  • Incomplete markup.
  • Programmable content used by assistive technologies is not available.

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. 

Audit

This website was last tested in April 2020. The test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre. The next test is planned for November 2020.

We selected a sample of pages that represented the different templates and layouts used across the site. The aim was to cover the different content, functions and processes that can be done on the website.

Technical information about idAM's accessibility

This website is an identity management service that supports NICE Account registration and sign in forms. Users access these pages when they attempt to sign in to NICE systems and services.

Compliance status

This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Audit

This website was last tested on 02 September 2020 by the NICE Digital Information and Technology team. All the issues that were found were addressed and resolved.

The accessibility of the registration and sign in pages was fully tested. The testing report can be made available on request.

Technical information about NICE Docs' accessibility

Compliance status

This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Audit

This website was last tested in June 2020 by Digital Accessibility Centre.

The testing focused on the key usage scenarios for the main user groups. A representative sample of pages was taken to enable each scenario to be tested.

Technical information about Syndication's accessibility

Compliance status

This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Audit

This website was last tested in November 2020 by the NICE Digital Information and Technology team.

We tested all pages of the service.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was first published on 19 October 2018. It was last updated on 21 September 2020.