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NHS trust and CCG websites compared for accessibility 

Silktide, a company that compares millions of websites, has analysed NHS trust and CCG websites for usability, including content, accessibility, marketing, mobile, social, speed, and legal compliance.

The Index, a league table, has been created showing how organisations in various industries compare for web accessibility.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS FT, NHS Digital, NHS North Cumbria CCG and London Ambulance Service NHS Trust are leading the way for website accessibility in their areas.

Website accessibility is the practice of making a website usable by everyone, regardless of ability or disability. Its primary aim is inclusion, no matter what a user’s circumstance, and aims to ensure support for a variety of users, such as those with low vision who may have trouble reading low-contrast text on a web page or a user on a mobile device in bright sunlight. The company measures the websites against the international standard for web accessibility, WCAG 2.1.

211 NHS trust websites were tested using a sample of up to 125 web pages taken from each website, and tested through the Silktide web intelligence platform.

The highest rated NHS trust was North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust with a score of 92, while London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust scored 81, coming in 30th place. The top 10 include:

  1. North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
  2. North Bristol NHS Trust
  3. Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 
  4. Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
  5. Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust
  6. University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
  7. Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
  8. Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
  9. East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
  10. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

The highest rated UK Ambulance website for accessibility, with a score of 98, is London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, while the Isle of Man Ambulance Service is in fifth place with a score of 82. The top five Ambulance service websites for accessibility include:

  1. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  2. East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  3. North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  4. East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  5. Isle of Man Ambulance Service

NHS Digital tops the leader board with a score of 87, with the NHS England and Improvement website in fifth place with an accessibility score of 75. The top five include:

  1. NHS Digital
  2. NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
  3. NHS
  4. NHS Blood & Transplant
  5. NHS England & NHS Improvement

128 CCG websites were also tested. NHS North Cumbria CCG came first with a score of 90 and NHS Herts Valleys CCG came in 30th with a usability score of 73. The top five included:

To find out more, view the Index here.

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