WCAG 2.2 Accessibility Guide for NHS Websites

Why Accessibility Is Non-Negotiable for NHS Websites

Every NHS-funded website is legally required to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards. This is not just a recommendation — the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 make it law.

But beyond legal compliance, accessibility is fundamentally about patient care. If a patient with a visual impairment cannot navigate your website, they cannot book an appointment. If a patient with dyslexia cannot read your content, they miss important health information.

This guide covers the key WCAG 2.2 requirements and how to meet them on your GP practice website.

What Is WCAG 2.2?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard for web accessibility, published by the W3C. Version 2.2, released in October 2023, added 9 new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1.

The standard is organised into four principles — your website must be:

Perceivable — content can be seen, heard, or otherwise sensed
Operable — navigation and interaction work for all input methods
Understandable — content and UI are clear and predictable
Robust — content works with current and future assistive technologies

Key Requirements for GP Practice Websites

Colour Contrast

Body text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background
Large text (18pt or 14pt bold) needs at least 3:1
Do not use colour alone to convey information (e.g. "fields marked in red are required")

Tip: Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to test your colours.

Images and Alt Text

Every meaningful image must have descriptive alt text
Decorative images should have empty alt attributes (alt="")
Complex images (charts, infographics) need a text alternative nearby

Keyboard Navigation

Every interactive element must be reachable and usable with a keyboard alone
Focus indicators must be visible (do not remove the browser's default focus outline without replacing it)
No keyboard traps — users must be able to navigate away from any element

Forms and Inputs

All form fields must have visible labels (not just placeholder text)
Error messages must identify the field and describe the error clearly
Required fields must be indicated in a way that does not rely on colour alone

New in WCAG 2.2

Key additions relevant to GP websites:

Focus Not Obscured — when an element receives focus, it must not be fully hidden behind sticky headers, cookie banners, or chat widgets
Dragging Movements — any action requiring dragging must have a click-based alternative
Target Size (Minimum) — interactive targets must be at least 24x24 CSS pixels (with some exceptions)
Consistent Help — if you offer help mechanisms (phone number, contact link, chatbot), they must appear in the same relative position across pages

How to Audit Your Website

Automated Testing

Run your site through:

WAVE — free browser extension
axe DevTools — browser extension for developers
Lighthouse — built into Chrome DevTools

Automated tools catch about 30-40% of issues. They are a starting point, not a complete audit.

Manual Testing

Navigate your entire site using only a keyboard
Test with a screen reader (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on Mac/iOS)
Zoom to 200% and check nothing breaks
Try your site on a mobile device with large text enabled

Professional Audit

For a thorough assessment, engage a specialist. We offer accessibility audits as part of our website packages and can remediate any issues found.

Common Failures We See

Cookie consent banners that cannot be dismissed by keyboard
Contact forms with placeholder text instead of labels
PDF documents that are not tagged for accessibility
Embedded Google Maps without a text alternative
Auto-playing videos without captions

How Simpliy Addresses Accessibility

Every website we build is:

Tested against WCAG 2.2 AA before launch
Screen reader compatible — tested with NVDA and VoiceOver
Keyboard navigable — every page, every form, every link
Monitored — we run quarterly automated audits as part of our hosting

We believe accessibility is not an add-on. It is built into every decision from the first wireframe.

Book a free accessibility review | View our services