Petition · Department of Health and Social Care

Ban NHS services from purchasing accessibility overlays, plugins or toolbars

Open for signatures 87 signatures

What the petition asks

Prohibit all NHS bodies from purchasing or using accessibility overlays, toolbars, plugins or widgets. The Government should instead mandate that all NHS digital infrastructure meets WCAG 2.2 AA standards natively, ensuring full compatibility with users' own assistive technologies.
Accessibility overlays, toolbars and plugins often hinder disabled users by interfering with assistive technology. The NHS Service Manual advises against these "widgets," as they fail the 2018 Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations. We want a ban on spending any NHS funds on these products in favour of natively accessible code.

Timeline

24 Apr 2026 Petition opened for signatures

Key facts

Signatures 87
Status Open for signatures
Department Department of Health and Social Care
Opened 24 Apr 2026

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.