Accessibility for Dental & GP Websites: Pass the 15‑Minute Spot‑Check

Accessibility is no longer a “nice to have” for NHS, GP and dental websites – it is a legal requirement and a core part of safe, inclusive care. In the UK, public‑facing healthcare sites are expected to meet WCAG 2.2 AA, comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, and publish a clear accessibility statement.

This guide walks GP practices, PCNs, federations and dental providers through a simple 15‑minute accessibility spot‑check, what typically goes wrong on older themes, the order to fix issues, and a ready‑to‑use accessibility statement template.

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Why Accessibility Matters for GP & Dental Websites

The legal and NHS context

In the UK, public‑facing healthcare organisations (including GP surgeries and many dental providers delivering NHS services) are expected to:

• Meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA for their websites and apps
• Make “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act 2010 so disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage
• Comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, including:
  • Making websites and apps accessible
  • Publishing and maintaining an accessibility statement
  • Providing routes for feedback and enforcement

Government Digital Service and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can investigate non‑compliant public sector websites, and enforcement action is possible where providers ignore their duties.

Equally important, about 1 in 4 UK adults lives with a disability or long‑term condition. An inaccessible appointment form, prescription request, or complaints page is not just a legal risk – it is a barrier to care.

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The 15‑Minute Accessibility Spot‑Check: 5 Checks Anyone Can Do Today

You do not need to be a developer to catch most high‑impact issues. Block out 15 minutes with your website open on a desktop/laptop and run through these five checks.

1. Readable text (plain language and layout)

Open your home page and a key task page, such as “Appointments” or “Register as a patient”.

What to look for

• Can a non‑clinical friend understand the page on first read?

• Is the main font size at least around 16px and not tiny on mobile?

• Is text left‑aligned (not fully justified, which creates “rivers” of white space)?

• Are paragraphs short, with clear headings and bullet points? Quick actions

• Replace jargon with plain language:

  • “Use eConsult to initiate a remote primary care consultation” → “Use our online form to get advice from a GP or nurse.”
  • Break up “walls of text”:
    • Use short paragraphs (2–4 lines)
    • Use bullets for lists of options (e.g. ways to book an appointment)
    • Check mobile view to ensure text is large enough without zooming.

2. Colour contrast (can people read it?)

Poor contrast is one of the most common accessibility failures on practice and dental sites, especially with brand colours.

What to look for

• Light grey text on a white background
• Text over images or coloured banners that is hard to read
• Links that are distinguished only by colour (e.g. blue but not underlined)

Quick actions

• Use a free online contrast checker:
  • Copy the colour of your text and background (from your theme settings or using a browser extension) and check against WCAG AA.
  • Where contrast fails:
    • Darken the text or button colour
    • Lighten the background colour
    • Add underlines to links in body text, not just colour
    • Avoid putting key text (e.g. “Call 999 in an emergency”) over images.

3. Keyboard focus (can you use it without a mouse?)

People who use screen readers, switch devices, or cannot use a mouse must be able to navigate using the keyboard alone. What to look for

• Press Tab from the top of the page and move through links, menus and buttons.

• You should see a visible focus outline (a box or highlight) clearly showing which element is active.

• You should be able to reach:

  • Main navigation
  • Search
  • Key buttons (e.g. “Book an appointment”, “Order repeat prescription”)
  • Form fields and submit buttons Quick actions

• If you cannot see a focus outline, ask your web supplier to:

  • Turn on or style focus outlines instead of removing them
  • Ensure that focus order follows the visual layout (top to bottom, left to right)
  • If “hidden” elements (like cookie banners or pop‑ups) trap focus so you cannot move on, log these as urgent fixes.

4. Alt text (do images make sense if you cannot see them?)

Alt text is the text announced by screen readers when they encounter an image.

What to look for

• Right‑click or inspect images on key pages:

  • Logos
  • Buttons that are images
  • Banners and “tiles”
  • Patient information graphics Quick actions

• Add meaningful alt text where images convey important information:

  • Practice logo → “Springfield Medical Centre”
  • Button image → “Book an appointment online”
  • Map image → “Map showing location of Springfield Medical Centre on High Street, opposite the library”
  • Mark purely decorative images (e.g. stock photos with no information) as decorative (empty alt attribute) so they are skipped by screen readers.
  • Avoid placing essential text inside images; put it as real text in HTML wherever possible.

5. Form errors that “speak” (do forms explain what went wrong?)

If patients cannot complete your contact or triage forms, they may be locked out of care. What to look for

• Fill in your main online form incorrectly on purpose:
  • Leave a required field blank
  • Type letters into a date or phone field
  • Submit the form and note:
    • Do you get a clear error message near the top of the page that explains what went wrong?
    • Are errors also shown next to each problematic field?
    • Does the page move focus to the error summary so keyboard and screen reader users hear the problem?

Quick actions

• Ensure error messages:
  • Use plain language (“Enter your date of birth in this format: DD/MM/YYYY.”)
  • Link to the specific field, or at least clearly name it
  • Make sure required fields are:
    • Marked with both asterisk and text (“Required”) for people who may not see colour
    • Avoid forms that rely entirely on placeholder text; they should have clear labels visible at all times.

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Common Accessibility Fails on Legacy Themes

Many GP and dental sites still run on older WordPress or bespoke templates designed long before WCAG 2.2 AA and the 2018 regulations. These patterns show up again and again.

Visual and layout issues

• Low‑contrast navigation and buttons
• Pale colours for menus and call‑to‑action buttons fail contrast, especially over hero images. Text baked into images
• “Practice news” tiles or banners that include opening hours or urgent messages as part of the graphic, with no text alternative.
• Non‑responsive layouts
• Tables or two‑column designs that break on mobile, forcing horizontal scrolling.

Navigation and structure

• Mega menus that are not keyboard accessible
• Hover‑only menus that do not open via keyboard. Missing or illogical headings
• Pages that use bold text instead of heading tags (H1–H3), making it difficult for screen reader users to skim.
• Inconsistent “urgent care” messaging
• Emergency instructions hidden mid‑page instead of being clearly highlighted and marked up.

Forms and interactive elements

• Third‑party forms that are not accessible
• Embedded appointment/triage tools with unlabeled fields or buttons, or without proper focus management. CAPTCHAs without alternatives
• “Click all the pictures with traffic lights” tests with no accessible alternative, blocking some disabled users from submitting forms.
• Carousels and sliders
• Auto‑rotating banners that cannot be paused, confusing readers and focus order.

Documents and downloads

• PDF‑heavy sites
• New patient information only available as untagged PDFs, often scanned images, which are inaccessible to screen readers. Board papers and policies
• Long PDFs not prepared to accessibility standards, with no HTML alternative.

Use your 15‑minute check to flag these patterns, then log them for prioritised fixes.

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Fix Order: Content Before Widgets

When time and budget are limited, focus on the changes that most help patients complete critical tasks.

1. Content and structure Why it comes first

Content is where clinical risk sits: how to book, how to get urgent help, how to complain, how to request a fit note. If this is confusing, inaccessible or hidden, everything else is secondary.

Priority actions

• Rewrite core task pages in plain language:
  • Appointments
  • Prescriptions
  • Test results
  • New patient registration
  • Opening times and contact details
  • Add clear headings and logical structure:
    • One H1 per page, then H2s and H3s in order
    • Make urgent and emergency advice prominent and consistent across pages.

2. Navigation and journeys

Once content is clear, make sure patients can find it easily. Priority actions

• Simplify main navigation:
  • Limit top‑level menu items
  • Group similar services (e.g. “Online services”, “Self‑help and local services”)
  • Add a clear “Accessibility” and “Help using this website” link in the footer.
  • Ensure home page tiles and banners link to key tasks, not just news.

3. Forms and key transactions

Forms are often where problems translate directly into missed care.

Priority actions

• Fix accessibility of:
  • Contact forms
  • Online consultation / triage tools
  • Prescription request forms
  • Feedback and complaint forms
  • Make sure each form:
    • Has labels for every field
    • Provides clear error messages and an error summary
    • Works by keyboard and with screen readers
    • Where third‑party systems fall short, raise this with suppliers and document it in your accessibility statement, along with interim workarounds.

4. Technical widgets and extras

Only after content, navigation and forms are addressed should you focus on widgets and cosmetic elements. Examples

• Sliders, carousels and accordions
• Video players and pop‑ups
• Chatbots, cookie banners and feedback overlays

Where widgets are not accessible and not essential for care, consider removing them altogether rather than investing time trying to retrofit accessibility.

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Accessibility Statement Template (Copy‑Paste)

Use this one‑page template as a starting point for your practice or dental website. Adapt the details, especially around compliance status, known issues and dates.

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Accessibility statement for [Practice / Dental Clinic Name]

This accessibility statement applies to the website: www.examplepractice.nhs.uk

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• Change colours, contrast levels and fonts using your device settings or browser
• Zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
• Navigate most of the website using a keyboard
• Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. If you need help understanding health information, you can find easy read and other resources on the NHS website.

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

How accessible this website is

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

• [Example] Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• [Example] Some images do not have good alternative text
• [Example] Some form error messages are not clearly linked to the fields

We are working to fix these issues. You can read more in the “What we’re doing to improve accessibility” section below.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as:

• Accessible PDF
• Large print
• Easy read
• Audio recording
• Braille

please contact us:

• Email: [practice email address]
• Phone: [main phone number]
• Address: [postal address]

We will consider your request and get back to you within [X 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’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

[role or team name, e.g. Practice Manager or Digital Lead]

• Email: [contact email]
• Phone: [phone number]

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 and the Equality Act 2010.

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

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

[Practice / Dental Clinic Name] is committed to making its website accessible, in line with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is [fully / partially / not] compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

• Fully compliant means we meet the standard in full.
• Partially compliant means some parts of the content do not fully meet the standard.
• Not compliant means most of the content does not meet the standard.

Non‑accessible content

Some content on this website is not fully accessible. The content listed below is non‑accessible for the following reasons. Non‑compliance with the accessibility regulations

• [Example] Some images do not have meaningful alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non‑text content). We plan to fix these by [date].
• [Example] Some of our online forms are difficult to navigate by keyboard. We plan to work with our suppliers to fix these by [date].

Disproportionate burden

At present, we do not consider any accessibility issues on this website to be a disproportionate burden. We will review this if our circumstances change.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Some older PDFs and other documents are not fully accessible. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards or we will provide the same information in HTML.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are taking the following steps to improve this site’s accessibility:

• Adding alt text to images and removing text embedded in images
• Reviewing and updating our most‑used pages in plain language
• Improving error messages and labels on forms
• Reducing our use of PDF and providing more information as accessible web pages
• Carrying out regular accessibility checks at least every 12 months

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on [date]. It was last reviewed on [date].

This website was last tested on [date]. The test was carried out by [organisation or internal team].

We tested a sample of pages that reflect the main user journeys, including:

• Home page
• Appointments
• Prescriptions
• Contact us
• [Any other key pages]

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Schedule a Quarterly Accessibility Check

Accessibility is not “set and forget”. Content changes, third‑party tools are updated, and regulations evolve. A light‑touch quarterly check helps you stay compliant and patient‑centred.

What to include in a quarterly check

Key user journeys

• Home page and navigation
• Appointments (including online consultation tools)
• Prescriptions and test results
• New patient registration
• Contact and complaints

Checklist

• Re‑run the 15‑minute spot‑check (text, contrast, keyboard, alt text, forms)
• Check new content since last quarter:
  • News posts and service updates
  • New PDFs or patient information leaflets
  • Review third‑party tools:
    • Have there been updates?
    • Are there any new accessibility issues or improvements?
  • Confirm that the accessibility statement is:
    • Still accurate
    • Updated with any new issues or fixes
    • Dated with the last review and test Who should be involved
• Practice or clinic manager – owns the process and risk
• Web supplier or digital agency – handles technical fixes
• Clinical or patient engagement lead – checks patient impact
• Patient participation group (PPG) or patient reps – optional but valuable for real‑world feedback

Build this into your governance calendar alongside clinical audits and complaints reviews.

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Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Key takeaways

• UK GP and NHS dental websites are expected to meet WCAG 2.2 AA, make reasonable adjustments, and publish a clear accessibility statement.
• A 15‑minute spot‑check can quickly reveal high‑impact issues with readability, contrast, keyboard access, alt text and forms.
• Legacy themes often fail on low contrast, inaccessible forms, PDF‑heavy content and keyboard traps – all of which can block patients from accessing care.
• When planning fixes, prioritise content and core journeys before cosmetic widgets.
• A concise, honest accessibility statement plus a quarterly check programme demonstrates active compliance and commitment to patient access.

Practical next steps for your practice or clinic

• Block 15 minutes this week to run the five checks on your site.
• Copy the accessibility statement template, adapt it to your organisation, and publish it in your footer.
• List 5–10 priority fixes (starting with content and forms) and agree timelines with your web supplier.
• Add a quarterly accessibility review to your governance calendar and assign a named lead.
• Involve patients where possible – their lived experience will highlight issues tools miss.

By embedding these simple routines, your dental or GP website can move beyond basic compliance to become a genuinely inclusive digital front door for your patients.