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University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust logo

UHBW NHS

About Accessibility

Last updated: 28/03/2023

If you run into problems accessing any part of this website, please let us know at communications@uhbw.nhs.uk.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the accessibility of third party websites, documents and multimedia content that we may link to.

What is accessibility and why does it matter?

To be accessible the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust website must be as easy to use and understand for as many visitors as possible. This website complies with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Level AA guidelines for accessibility and we are committed to maintaining and improving the accessibility of our site. 

Changing Browser Settings

We want as many people as possible to be able to use our website. That means you should be able to:

  • 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)

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

My Computer My Way offer 'how to' guides to make your device easier to use.

The guides offer step by step instructions on how to adapt your phone, computer or tablet to meet your needs. You can search for a specific need (e.g. making text larger) or filter the guides based on your symptoms (e.g. hand tremor) or condition (e.g. dyslexia).

Learn how to change browser settings to improve accessibility.

Text size

Can I change the font size used on the website?

Yes. This may be useful for you if you have low vision and need larger font sizes.

You can change the text size using the “Aa” options at the top of the page. You can also change in the following ways:

  • On a PC: from Internet Explorer select the View menu at the top of your window, scroll down and select the Text size option.
  • On an Apple Mac: from Safari select Preferences from the Edit menu at the top of the window. From there, click on Web content and uncheck the Show style sheets option. Then return to the list of preferences and choose Web browser. Then click on Language/fonts and choose the size you need.

Text colour

Can I change the font colours used on the website?

Yes. This may be useful for you if you have low vision and need high contrast colours. You can change the style and colour, and choose an alternative colour for links. You can also change background and foreground colours.

To ignore font and background colours in Internet Explorer on a PC, choose Internet options from the Tools menu at the top of the window. On the general tab of the window that appears, click the Accessibility button. This takes you to a menu where you can choose to ignore the way the page is formatted. To set your colour and font preferences, return to the Internet options menu and use the Colours and Fonts buttons. 

Keyboard navigation

Do I have to use a mouse to navigate this website?

No. Use your arrow keys to scroll up or down the page. You can use your Tab key to move between links, and press Return or Enter to select one. To go back to the previous page, use the Backspace key.

Read aloud option

Can the text be read to me?

Yes. Select the Read Aloud icon on at the top of this page and the text on the current page will be read to you.

Different languages

Can I translate the language of the text?

Yes. Use the Google Translate drop-down menu at the top of this page to choose from a range of languages. The text on this website will then be translated into your chosen language.

PDF accessibility

We try to make sure that PDF documents on the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust website are as accessible as possible.  If you are having problems accessing a particular document, please let us know at communications@uhbw.nhs.uk.

Is there anything I can do to make PDF documents more accessible?

Useful information about services to make Acrobat documents more accessible is provided on Adobe’s website.

Further information can be found on Adobe pages on accessibility.

Downloading documents

What formats are downloadable documents provided in?

Downloadable documents on the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust website are provided in a variety of formats. The most common are PDF, Word and Excel. If you require a document in an alternative format, please contact us at communications@uhbw.nhs.uk.

What if I don’t have the software to open the document?

Most computers already have the software to open these document formats. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader (for reading PDFs), it is available from the Adobe site.

How do I save documents to my computer?

If you have a PC, right-click on the link to the document. If you use a Macintosh, hold down the mouse button over the link. In both cases, a popup menu will then appear. Scroll down the menu and click on ‘Save target as’. You will then be asked to choose a folder on your computer where you can save the document.

Some browsers such as Firefox and Chrome automatically download documents to your computer when you open them.

Video accessibility

Are University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust videos accessible?

Videos on the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust website are generally accompanied by closed captions. If this is not the case, please contact us at communications@uhbw.nhs.uk to request a text alternative. Don’t forget to let us know which video you are interested in.


AccessAble Guide

View our AccessAble Guide

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) has worked with AccessAble to create Detailed Access Guides to facilities, wards, and departments at its sites.

The guides are 100 per cent facts, figures and photographs to help patients, visitors and staff plan their journeys to and around the hospitals, covering everything from parking facilities and hearing loops, to walking distances and accessible toilets.

All of the details in the guides have been checked in person, on site, by trained surveyors.

Professor Deirdre Fowler, chief nurse and midwife at UHBW, said: "We appreciate that everyone's accessibility needs are different and we want to be an inclusive organisation, which is why providing detailed, accurate information about our locations to patients and carers is so important."

The guides cover all of UHBW’s sites:

  • Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI)
  • Weston General Hospital
  • Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
  • Bristol Heart Institute
  • Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre
  • Bristol Dental Hospital
  • Bristol Eye Hospital
  • St Michael’s Hospital
  • Central Health Clinic.

They also cover South Bristol Community Hospital and Avon Partnership NHS Occupational Health Services at Whitefriars in Bristol.

The Access Guides have been generously supported by the Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity.

You can view University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust’s Accessibility Guides here: https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-hospitals-bristol-and-weston-nhs-foundation-trust.

The guides also available via the AccessAble App which is free to download from the App Store and Google Play, giving you accessibility information at your fingertips during your hospital visit.

UHBW joins over 70,000 places already covered across the UK, making www.AccessAble.co.uk a great tool not only for planning a hospital visit, but also a day out or trip away.

For more information about the project, please contact Ellen Ilott, senior partnerships manager at AccessAble, on 01438 842710 or email ellen.ilott@AccessAble.co.uk.

About AccessAble

AccessAble is the largest provider of accessibility information across the UK. Their website www.AccessAble.co.uk has Detailed Access Guides to over 70,000 venues, and is used by over 3 million people each year.

AccessAble’s Detailed Access Guides tell you all about a venue's access – hospitals, universities, hotels and guest houses, places to eat and drinkplaces to visit and much more. They are 100% facts, figures and photographs. We know everyone's accessibility needs are different, which is why having detailed, accurate information is so important. It's why AccessAble send trained surveyors to check out every single place in person and why the information collected has all been decided by the people who use it.

Users can check out access information for venues across the UK before they leave home or on the move using AccessAble’s App and website.


How accessible is our website

We have tested our website and found it to be accessibility compliant.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

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

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (WCAG 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. 

  1. Linked image missing alternative text in Cookie Statement.
  2. Missing form label in Cookie Statement.

How we tested our website

Our website was last tested on 26/03/2023. The test was carried out by WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool and WebAim Contrast Checker. This test involved a combination of automated and manual testing.

We also do manual checks using the Government Digital Service checklist.

What we do to improve accessibility

We try to 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.

Get in touch

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our website. 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.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was updated on 27/03/2023.

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).

[Note: if your organisation is based in Northern Ireland, refer users who want to complain to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) instead of the EASS and EHRC.]