How you should be able to use this website
It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 400% without problems
- navigate the website using just a keyboard
- navigate the website using speech recognition software
- use the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).
The text should also be clear and easy to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
Some parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:
- some documents are in PDF format and are not fully accessible
- the YouTube video player may have accessibility issues with contrast and tooltips.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information in a different format, email content@ombudsman.org.uk and tell us:
- the web address (URL) of the content
- your name and email address
- the format you need (for example, braille, accessible PDF or Easy Read).
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting the accessibility requirements, email us at content@ombudsman.org.uk.
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 complain to us about an accessibility problem and you’re not happy with how we respond, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Public Service Ombudsman 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
Our website partially meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA Standard. We are currently working to fix known issues to fully meet the AA standard and renew our Disability Accessibility Centre (DAC) accreditation.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The content listed below is non-accessible for the reasons stated.
- Images and non-text content
Some images do not have appropriate alternative text, or use alternative text that does not adequately describe the content. This means that some people using screen readers may not be able to understand the information conveyed by images. Some downloadable documents also contain images without suitable text alternatives.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content). - Headings and page structure
Some pages contain empty headings or structural markup that does not correctly identify relationships between content. This may make it more difficult for people using assistive technology to understand and navigate information on the page.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). - Links and navigation
Some links do not provide sufficient information about their purpose, have duplicate link text that points to different destinations, or do not have an accessible name. This can make it difficult for screen reader users to understand where links will take them.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.4 (Link Purpose) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). - Interactive components
Some interactive elements are not correctly labelled for assistive technologies. Examples include embedded content and expandable sections where accessibility attributes are not implemented consistently. This may affect how screen readers identify or interact with some content.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). - Animated and flashing content
Some animated images continue for longer than five seconds or may contain flashing content. This may cause difficulties for users who are sensitive to motion or flashing content.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide) and 2.3.1 (Three Flashes or Below Threshold). - Downloadable documents
Some PDF and Word documents published on the website are not fully accessible. Issues include missing document titles, missing document language information, missing document structure tags, missing metadata, images without alternative text and content that may not be read in the correct order by assistive technologies.
These issues may fail WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence), 2.4.2 (Page Titled) and 3.1.1 (Language of Page).
Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Some of our non-HTML documents were published before September 2018. The regulations state they do not need to be accessible, unless users need them to use our service.
These are mainly:
- historical investigation reports that are of public interest
- historical copies of our annual report and accounts.
We are not planning to replace these documents with accessible formats. However, you can request these in alternative formats using the contact details above.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
- We are working through making all PDFs published after 23 September 2018 fully accessible. We are also replacing PDFs with HTML webpages where feasible.
- We are working with the Digital Accessibility Centre to fix any outstanding accessibility issues.
We will regularly review this statement and update this page when issues are fixed.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was first prepared on 31 January 2017. It was last reviewed on 1 October 2026.
This website was last tested on 9 September 2020 by the Digital Accessibility Centre.
Our approach to testing was to identify a representative sample of pages by:
- using analytics to understand the most commonly used pages on our website
- using our insight to identify the pages most vital for accessing our services, such as pages providing information about how to bring a complaint to us
- including most of the common page templates used on our website.
The website was also tested on 28 August 2026 by the accessibility monitoring team at the Government Digital Service (part of the Cabinet Office) as part of its role in monitoring the adherence to the accessibility regulations. This resulted in further improvements being made to the accessibility of this website.