Accessibility
This accessibility statement applies to this website and all the pages contained on it.
This website is run by Dorset HealthCare. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colour to back and white (high contrast mode)
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- change the language using Google Translate.
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
The vast majority of the site is compliant with national WCAG2.2AA guidelines. There are a small number of older, archived PDF documents, which we are obliged to host by law, which may not be accessible to screen reader software. However, wherever possible, we have replaced PDFs with accessible web pages or more modern, accessible PDFs.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- email dhc.
communications. team @nhs.net - call 01202 277085
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 72 hours.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re 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, contact our web team at dhc.
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Find out how to contact us on our contact us page.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Dorset HealthCare is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have archived PDFs of corporate documents, such as Trust Board papers, for public reference. These may not meet some accessibility guidelines, such as:
- WCAG 1.1: Non-text Content
- WCAG 1.3.1: Info and Relationships
- WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color
- WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
- WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text
- WCAG 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced)
- WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page
- WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts
- WCAG 3.1.3 Unusual Words
- WCAG 3.1.4 Abbreviations
- WCAG 3.1.5 Reading Level
- WCAG 3.1.6 Pronunciation
We plan to update these documents with accessible versions. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018, unless users need them to use a service.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared in June 2025. It was last reviewed on 24 October 2025.
This website was last tested in June 2025, when it was launched. The test was carried out by Frank Design Ltd, the company that designed and developed this website.
We tested a selection of pages with all of the different functions available and being used. This approach allows us to include all of the functions and also adds up to include a range of basic webpage content at the same time.