This statement applies to content published on the nibts.hscni.net domain. It does not apply to content on third party domains hosting Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service information.
This website is run by the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible.
The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:
- zoom in up to 300% without problems
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Links
We aim to ensure all text links are written, so they make sense when read out of context.
How accessible this website is
Parts of this website are not fully accessible, for example:
- some document attachments are not clearly written
- some heading elements are not consistent
- some error messages are not clearly associated with form controls
- some of the features within the site are not fully accessible by keyboard
- some documents are in PDF format and are not accessible
- some images may include text on the image
Feedback and contact information
If you need information in a different format, please let us know:
- the web address (URL) of the content
- your name and email address
- the format you need, for example:
- audio CD
- braille
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- accessible PDF
Please contact us using the online feedback form. We’ll get back to you in 7 working days to discuss your request.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting the accessibility requirements, contact us by using the online feedback form.
Enforcement procedure
If you are not happy with our response, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the ‘Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018’ (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service 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
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with accessibility regulations
Following an audit, the following items have been identified on the site for non-compliance.
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text content: Documents with elements that are missing alternative text. Some PDF documents are essential to providing our services. For example, PDFs with information on accessing services or documents which must be made publicly available. We plan to improve accessibility of these documents and any new PDFs we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Documents can also be made available in other formats. You can request this via our online feedback form.
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: Tables in documents not correctly marked up. Some PDF documents are essential to providing our services. For example, PDFs with information on accessing services or documents which must be made publicly available. We plan to improve accessibility of these documents and any new PDFs we publish will meet accessibility standards. We hope to do this by July 2025.
Documents can also be made available in other formats. You can request this via our online feedback form.
WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum): Documents with insufficient colour contrast. Some PDF documents are essential to providing our services. For example, PDFs with information on accessing services or documents which must be made publicly available. We plan to improve accessibility of these documents and any new PDFs we publish will meet accessibility standards. We hope to do this by July 2025.
WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: When text is resized on carousels on the site there may be some loss of content and function. We have improved accessibility on image/article carousels but are completing further works to ensure accessibility and hope to have this completed by July 2025.
WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text: There are some images of text within the site. This is usually in the case of logos or instances were appropriate imagery for the subject matter is unavailable. For such images, we include alternative text to describe the image as best as possible along with the text that appears on the image. We are currently reviewing all images to ensure they are suitable and accessible, with alt text on all images by July 2025. When we publish new content we’ll ensure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow: At 400% zoom and in mobile view menus do not adjust to fit the webpage properly. Work is in progress to resolve this issue and we plan to have this completed by July 2025.
WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus: There is no mechanism to dismiss additional content on some hover-over elements. Work is ongoing to resolve this issue and we hope to have this resolved by July 2025.
WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard: Some elements on the website are not currently accessible via keyboard, including the slider arrows and expand buttons on contents menus. Work is ongoing to resolve this issue and we hope to have this resolved by July 2025.
WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide: Some elements on the website move or update automatically and do not have a way for the user to pause or stop this. Work is ongoing to resolve this issue and we hope to have this resolved by July 2025.
WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order: Keyboard navigation of the website is not optimised on a number of pages. Work is ongoing to resolve this issue and we hope to have this resolved by July 2025.
WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: In some areas of the site there are issues with links not having discernible text. We are working to resolve this and ensure accessibility. We hope to have this resolved by July 2025.
WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: Keyboard focus is not visible within some elements of the site. Keyboard focus has been improved across the site; however, we are completing further works to resolve any outstanding issues and hope to resolve by July 2025.
WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page: Some pages on the website are missing the lang attribute. Work is ongoing to resolve this issue and we hope to have this resolved by February 2025.
WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: An issue has been identified with ARIA attributes. We plan to have this resolved by July 2025.
Documents can also be made available in other formats. You can request this via our online feedback form.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
Any new content added to our site will be reviewed using online accessibly tools to ensure compliance.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 29th November 2024. It was last reviewed on 29th November 2024.
This website was last tested on 19th November 2024. The test was carried out by The Accessibility Monitoring Team at the Cabinet Office, with additional pages tested using automated testing tools by the NIBTS website team.
Sample pages were selected based on the accessibility audit for this site.