This statement applies to the Trust websites available via www.uhbristol.nhs.uk and www.waht.nhs.uk.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the organisation responsible for developing web standards. The W3C states that: "Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them."
For a full definition, and to see what accessibility means for all website users, please see the W3C website.
Our University Hospitals Bristol (UH Bristol) and Weston Area Health Trust (WAHT) websites are very old and due for redevelopment. The two Trusts merged in April 2020 and we currently have a new temporary corporate website for the newly merged organisation (www.uhbw.nhs.uk) which meets the accessibility requirements.
While we try to make new content accessible to all users, we can't guarantee that every part of each UH Bristol and WAHT site will meet everyone's accessibility needs.
Our websites do feature in-built tools to enable users to alter the way content is viewed using standard templates, e.g. the ability to alter text size.
Standard web browsing software offers options to allow users to alter the way they view content, and we do not deliberately override these options. Our websites explain how to use these tools.
There is some content which is difficult to publish in a way that is fully accessible. For example, our Trust newsletter is designed to be printed. While users are welcome to download this document, it is not designed to be an online resource. It is therefore not designed with web accessibility in mind.
We are aware that we need to make changes to the accessibility of this website and are currently working towards getting a new website.
We have introduced a temporary website for corporate content since merging to become University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in April 2020, and this temporary website meets the accessibility requirements.
In the meantime, we will ensure the content of this website meets the requirements of the international WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard. This is the minimum standard considered to be acceptable for public sector websites.
We will also try to make all of our key content as accessible as possible. An example of key content would be a document which somebody needs to use to access a particular service related to their disability.
However, our priority is to deliver a new website which will feature improved accessibility for all content.
If you find a piece of content which you feel is not accessible, or if you would like any content in another format, please contact us. We will do what we can to make the requested information available in an accessible format.
Write to us at:
Communications Team
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
Marlborough Street
Bristol
BS1 3NU
Email: communications@uhbw.nhs.uk
This statement was prepared on 23 September 2020.
This website was last tested in September 2020. The test was carried out by the UHBW communications teams.