How you can use this tool
This data platform is designed and run by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority. We want as many people as possible to be able to make use of it and benefit from the content and have remained mindful of the Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) v2.2 design principles as we developed the tool. We have therefore considered the ways that this product can be accessible to everyone, including users with impairments to their:
- Vision (for example, partial sightedness, colour-blindness etc.)
- Hearing
- Mobility (particularly concerning their ability to utilise a keyboard and mouse)
- Any specific needs that concern the impact and delivery of content, for example, those people with dyslexia, autism or learning difficulties.
WCAG 2.2 is based on 4 design principles (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust) and we’ve examined these alongside the need to think about the different ways that people interact with content. As far as is possible, we’ve made use of the inherent functionality within the tools we’ve utilised (which are Microsoft Sway and Microsoft PowerBI, as described below) to provide accessibility options for all users. Examples of this include:
- Ability to use a keyboard instead of a mouse to scroll up and down the page and being able to use the tab key to move between buttons (operable).
- The ability to zoom in up to 500%, with adaptive content that prevents distortion of statistics or visualisations (perceivable).
- Hosting the tool within a browser to make use of functionality inherent with them, including browser settings that makes content easier to read (operable).
- The ability to “spotlight” individual elements to remove background elements and “focus mode” to increase them in size (understandable).
- The ability to produce and export all data within each object to allow third party analysis (operable, robust).
- Provision of tooltips within the product, which – alongside troubleshooting and FAQ’s – (understandable).
- The ability to enter accessibility mode, which increases the size of all fonts, simplifies the layout and makes all objects equal size (understandable, robust)
We’ve made the website text as simple as possible to understand and have utilised tool tips and a corresponding data dictionary that helps explain that is included. Some of our content is technical, but we only use technical terms where there is no easier wording. In some cases, a sense of context (i.e. about the nature of the Fraud Case Management System, or other data collection, and their content) is necessary, and an wider explanation may not be possible without changing what the text means and diluting the meaning and/or providing a particularly and disproportionally extended explanation.
If you have a disability, then AbilityNet has both tools and advice to help you make your device easier to use.
How we test this website
This whole tool has undergone automated testing against the W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 using an automated assessment software called WAVE Evaluation Tool (see below). This tool scans the product and content of this product and tests against all the criteria in the guidelines which are possible to automate.
The findings are reviewed by the development team, with any action points identified and prioritised into our future work. We aim to fix all high priority issues as soon as is possible from them being identified.
In addition, we conduct internal testing against known accessibility issues which are not able to be found through automated testing, on a sampled basis. We last conducted an accessibility check on these areas in December 2023 (ahead of the launch).
Automated testing
We use automated testing to inform most of our improvements to accessibility on the site. The software, called WAVE Evaluation Tool, can identify and provide advice in line with the WCAG guidelines, aiming to meet and surpass them to assist with facilitating evaluation of content. More information about this tool can be found here: WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools (webaim.org)
Automated testing can’t find everything that could be improved, but we are confident about what it does find; this has supported the creation of this statement and the design choices we have made. It also means we have proactively fixed many of accessibility problems which manual checking may have overlooked.
Manual testing
There are several accessibility features which we test manually. This is completed by both the internal development team (comprised of NHSCFA developers and wider NHSCFA colleagues) and, during the development process, engagement with our user base of LCFS’s and Directors of Finance, which include:
- Ease of navigation
- Clarity of the content
- Checks of colour contrast
- Checking content in a text-only browser
- Adjusting resolution and ensuring scalability of content on a range of displays
They also tested (and demonstrated) the elements outlined in the first section as examples of the steps taken to support accessibility, where necessary demonstrate them in action in real life user scenarios.
Tests conducted by the platform vendor
This data platform is hosted using the reporting tools of Microsoft PowerBI, a business intelligence tool that is used to create and disseminate data through electronic reports. Microsoft have provided their own overview concerning , as well as guidance and advice, which can be found here: Overview of accessibility in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn. NHSCFA predominantly uses the online workspace of this tool and this ensures the most up to date versions are in use (with the most up to date accessibility functionality).
The reports themselves are hosted on Microsoft Sway, a “story telling application” for interactive content. It is designed for hosting online resources (such as articles reports, presentations etc.) and therefore is designed with accessibility in mind – as demonstrated by the advice and support that is provided (Make your Sway design accessible to people with disabilities - Microsoft Support) and in particular the keyboard controls that are provided within the tool Keyboard shortcuts for Sway - Microsoft Support. Many of these utilities supporting how we can provide accessibility were outlined in the opening section. Sway also has an in-built accessibility checker, which has been utilised, however this has proven less suitable when examining this type of embedded content.
Identified accessibility issues:
We have run both automated and manual audits to identify any problems (as above) and as a result are satisfied that the majority of the tool is accessible. However, we know that some parts of the website aren’t fully accessible. This includes the following issues:
- There is a requirement to utilise the cursor to initially select each embedded object (from which point the accessibility tools can then run)
- Inclusion of small text, particularly for the legend of tables and graphs
- Use of low contrast colours in visualisations (particularly when a range of colours are needed)
- Some missing alternative text (particularly for titles or where items carry a common theme that is summarised only once or are felt to be self explanatory)
- Issues with the tabindex that determine the order of tab selection across irregularly shaped objects (the order mixing sequential movement alongside that for relevance).
- A requirement to utilise complex terminology and abbreviations.
However we believe the options we’ve utilised within the tool (as identified in the opening section) provide sufficient mitigation to these issues, as do the options below to provide the outputs in an accessible format.
Next steps: What we are doing to improve
We are actively looking to improve the accessibility on all of our websites and data platforms and will be monitoring accessibility feedback as part of the post-release activities we will be undertaking, which in turn will drive next steps in our next development cycle. We will also focus on the items above which we have already identified and can be addressed whilst maintaining the integrity of the existing product.
The improvements below have therefore been identified on our current work schedule.
- Assess feedback and determine next steps (Q4 of 2023/24)
- Revisit the tabindex (Q1 / Q2 of 2024/25)
- Revisit the alternative text (Q1 / Q2 of 2024/25)
The longer term development steps will necessitate a further accessibility assessment and we will use the feedback and our further assessments to develop an accessibility checklist for this new version.
How to get information in an accessible format
If you have problems accessing information on this tool, or would like any of our work in a different format like a more accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille:
- email: accessibility@nhscfa.gov.uk
- telephone: 020 7895 4500
We’ll consider your request and aim to get back to you within 3 days.
What we are doing to improve
We are actively looking to improve the accessibility on our websites and data. If you find any problems which aren’t listed on this page, or think that we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations then please email accessibility@nhscfa.gov.uk to let us know.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).