Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Public Health Wales website: https://phw.nhs.wales.

This website is run by Public Health Wales. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 200% 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 have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Accessibility on this website is guided by government standards and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG are widely accepted as the international standard for accessibility on the web.

We aim to make this website accessible to all users and achieve a WCAG conformance level ‘AA’. If you experience any accessibility issue on this site or have any comment, please contact us.

How accessible this website is

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

  • some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English
  • some tables do not have row or column headers
  • some documents have poor colour contrast
  • some heading elements are not consistent
  • some images do not have image descriptions
  • some images used to convey information have poor colour contrast 
  • some information in tables cannot be reached with a keyboard
  • many documents are in PDF format and are not accessible

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us in the first instance and we will pass your request onto the relevant team. We will consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.

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 think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us.

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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Public Health Wales 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, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  • Some tables do not have table row or column headers. This means assistive technologies will not read the tables correctly. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  • Some tables are structured incorrectly, so screen readers cannot understand the relationships between information in the table. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  • Some headings do not display correctly. They may look like normal text or a different type of heading. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  • Some images use colour as the only way to convey meaning. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Color).
  • Some images include text with poor colour contrast to its background. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)).
  • Some pages use images of text instead of text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of Text).
  • Some images include elements with poor colour contrast to the background. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast).
  • If a table is too wide to fit on the screen, the hidden information cannot be reached with a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
  • Some pages have duplicate titles. This may make it difficult for users to orient themselves and find the right content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
  • Some headings don’t accurately describe the content underneath. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
  • On some pages the back to top link at the bottom of the page can hide focussed elements. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 (Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)).
  • Some images of text that are used as links have image descriptions that don’t include all of the text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.3 (Label in Name).
  • The change in the default written language is not correctly identified on some pages. This means screen readers will not read content correctly. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).
  • Some pages have inconsistently-placed language navigation. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.2.3 (Consistent Navigation).
  • Some links that reveal more content can cause some screen reader users to lose their position on the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  • Some pages include videos without captions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 (Captions)
  • Some pages contain instructions that depend on visually identifying checkboxes to answer questions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.3 (Sensory Characteristics)
  • Some pages contain videos without a transcript. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.3 (Audio Description or Media Alternative)
  • Many documents are in non-HTML formats, for example PDF. They are not accessible in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

Disproportionate burden

There are some sections of our website of a corporate nature, which are not currently accessible and have been produced since September 2018.

For these sections, we will identify where we know documents are non-compliant and provide contact details wherever possible. As documentation is renewed in the future, we will ensure digital accessibility is considered.

Currently, these sections are listed as below: (and subject to change).

  • Board or committee papers
  • Performance reports which may contain complex reporting/statistical data
  • Publications linked from our Freedom of Information pages – including disclosure logs
  • Publications which may have been professionally produced since September 2018 which would have to be fixed by a third party.

Navigation and accessing information

  • There’s no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option).
  • It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content.
  • It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services or sharing information. For example, we occasionally have PDFs with patient information leaflets and forms published as Word documents.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services. We do not plan to fix any PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018, for example Board and Committee Papers, Health Board policies and procedure documentation or statutory documentation such as Annual Reports. However, we will endeavour to make any new PDFs or Word documents accessible wherever possible.

Reports, data and resources in PDF or Word formats have a html summary. If you need this information in a different format, please contact us.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live audio or video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. However, we will always aim to provide subtitled versions of pre-recorded videos produced.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in March 2026. It will be reviewed in March 2027.

This website was last tested in March 2026. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre.