Accessibility Statement.

Our commitment

We want our website and our clinic to be accessible to as many people as possible. This includes patients with visual, hearing, motor, cognitive, or speech impairments, as well as patients who use assistive technology (screen readers, magnifiers, voice control) or who simply prefer larger text or simpler layouts.

This statement covers the website at towerbridgehospital.co.uk and accessibility at our physical clinic at 97-99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT.

How accessible the website is

We have designed and built the new Tower Bridge Hospital London website to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA as far as is reasonably practicable. This is the international accessibility standard referenced by UK government, the NHS, and most major UK healthcare providers.

Specifically, on this website you can:

• Change colours, contrast levels, and fonts using your browser or operating system settings
• Zoom in up to 200% without text spilling off the screen
• Navigate the whole website using only a keyboard (no mouse required)
• Navigate the whole website using speech recognition software
• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack)
• Use the website on a phone, tablet or desktop — the layout adapts automatically

What we have done

• Semantic HTML — pages use proper heading structure (one H1 per page, no skipped levels), landmark regions (main, nav, header, footer, aside), and ARIA labels where appropriate so screen readers can navigate content correctly.
• Alt text on images — meaningful images have descriptive alt text. Decorative images use empty alt attributes so screen readers skip them.
• Keyboard navigation — all interactive elements are reachable and operable by keyboard.
• Visible focus indicators — the current keyboard focus is always visible with a high-contrast cyan outline, meeting WCAG 2.4.7.
• Skip-to-main-content link — a skip link appears on first Tab press, letting keyboard users jump past the navigation.
• Reduced motion support — if your operating system is set to "prefer reduced motion," animations and transitions on the site are minimised.
• Form labels — all form fields have associated labels, either visible or as accessible names via aria-label.
• Language declared — every page declares its language so screen readers use correct pronunciation.
• Plain English — we avoid clinical jargon in patient-facing content. Where medical terms are necessary, we explain them.
• Descriptive link text — links describe their destination rather than relying on phrases like "click here."
• Cookie banner accessibility — the cookie preference controls have accessible names so screen-reader users can understand each option.

What we have not done (yet)

We want to be honest about the parts of the website that are not yet fully accessible. We are working to fix these.

• Some older PDF documents linked from our website may not be fully tagged for screen readers. If you need a different format, please contact us — we will provide one.
• Some clinical photographs use decorative styling that may make alt text repetitive. We are reviewing this.
• Embedded third-party booking systems (Pabau) and patient registration (Hospital Note) are designed by third parties. Their accessibility is outside our direct control, but we have raised this with our suppliers.
• Our blog at towerbridgehospital.co.uk/blog runs on WordPress and may not consistently meet WCAG 2.1 AA. We are reviewing.

If anything else doesn’t work for you, please tell us — see “Reporting accessibility issues” below.

Physical accessibility at the clinic

Our clinic at 97-99 Whitechapel Road is on the ground floor, with:

• Step-free entrance from the street
• Wide doors for wheelchairs, walkers and pushchairs
• Accessible WC on the ground floor
• Step-free access to all consultation rooms
• Seating in the waiting area with armrests for patients who need support standing
• Hearing loop at reception (if you use a hearing aid, please switch to T-coil)
• Quiet space available if waiting in the main area is overwhelming — please ask reception
• Companions welcome — you can bring a friend, family member or carer to any appointment

Adjustments we can make

If you have a specific need, please tell us in advance and we will do our best to accommodate. Examples of adjustments we have made for patients include:

• Longer appointments for patients who need more time to communicate, understand, or feel comfortable
• First or last appointment of the day for patients who find busy waiting rooms difficult
• Written summaries of consultations for patients with memory or processing difficulties
• Easy-read versions of consent forms and patient information where possible
• Large-print appointment letters and treatments
• Interpreter services in spoken languages and British Sign Language — please request at booking
• Female or male clinician preference wherever possible — just ask
• Phone or video consultations if travelling to the clinic is difficult
• Trusted-person attendance — a relative or carer can be with you at any consultation

Please let us know what you need when you book or when you arrive. Adjustments are always free of charge.

Requesting information in another format

If you need any information from this website in a different format — large print, easy-read, audio, BSL, or another language — please contact us. We will provide it free of charge.

• Phone: 020 7916 0029 (AI receptionist answers 24/7; a real team member will follow up)
• Email: info@mhwclinic.co.uk
• WhatsApp: 07903 284 189
• In person: 97-99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT

Reporting accessibility issues

We’re always working to improve accessibility. If you find something that doesn’t work for you on this website, please tell us. We’ll respond within 5 working days.

Send your feedback to info@mhwclinic.co.uk or call us. Please include:

• The web page you were trying to use (URL)
• What you were trying to do
• What happened (or didn’t)
• What kind of device or assistive technology you were using, if relevant

Enforcement

If you contact us about an accessibility issue and you’re not happy with our response, you can raise the matter formally through our Complaints Policy. You can also report disability discrimination to the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) at equalityadvisoryservice.com or 0808 800 0082.

How we test the website

We test the website using:

• Automated structural checks for HTML validity, heading order, alt text presence, and form-label associations
• Keyboard-only navigation testing — tabbing through pages to confirm every interactive element is reachable
• Manual checks for visible focus indicators, link clarity, and reduced-motion behaviour
• Browser-based testing across Chrome, Safari and Firefox on desktop, iOS Safari, and Chrome on Android

Where we have used third-party components (e.g. the Pabau booking system and the CQC rating widget), we have linked to accessible alternatives where the component itself falls short.

An external audit by an independent accessibility specialist is planned within the next 12 months. We will update this statement with the audit results.

This statement

This accessibility statement was prepared in line with the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (which we follow as best practice though we are a private provider), and the WCAG 2.1 AA international standard.

It is reviewed every 12 months or whenever significant website changes are made.

This statement was last reviewed on 30 May 2026. Next scheduled review: 30 May 2027.