Policies and Procedures

NIHR is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with national legislation transposing Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council and in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to The HSMA Programme Resource Site.

Compliance status

• This website is partially compliant with WCAG 2.0/2.1AA, due to the non-compliance/exemptions listed below.

(a) Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reason(s):

• Almost all functionality provided by Google Sites is keyboard accessible. For example, all available site content types can be added, edited, moved and resized by keyboard. However, there are a few keyboard related items that affects keyboard users. For example:

• In certain cases, performing a specific action causes keyboard focus to be reset.

• Google Sites provides some form of visual indication of focus for most interactive controls. Some exceptions include:

  • The active tab in the Insert Image dialog doesn't provide any visual indication of focus

  • When initially focused, the Recent Sites grid does not show an visual indication of focus.

• WAI-ARIA is used to expose role and state information on most elements, but some elements are not exposed correctly. For example:

  • Screen readers do not provide a consistent indication that a tile is currently being edited.

• Most of the Google Sites UI can be interacted with through keyboard and does not require fine motor control. Examples of some of the exceptions are:

  • When adding a new sub page to the ‘Pages’ panel, the pages list is no longer reachable without using a mouse.

• As Google Sites is a web-based application (not a document), the UI associated with its editor relies heavily on the use of associated style sheets. However, the web pages generated through Google Sites do not require style sheets in order to be readable.

• Most of Google Sites core functionality is keyboard accessible and can be performed with assistive technology for people who are blind. There are however a few part of the Google Sites UI that cannot be used by assistive technology users. For example:

• On the Home screen, the context menu available for each site in the Recent Sites grid cannot be reached or operated by keyboard.

• The buttons in the page header toolbar are not marked up as a composite toolbar widget.

• Accessibility provisions in Google Sites can be provided without requiring a separate text-only version.

• The majority of iFrames in Google Sites are labeled in a descriptive way when used to embed other resources to a site. In some cases iFrames without a title attribute are used for technical purposes.

(b) The content is not within the scope of the applicable legislation

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 07/04/2021

The statement was last reviewed on 07/04/2021

Feedback and contact information

If you wish to report any accessibility challenges in using this website, or if you require any information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact:

email: penarc@exeter.ac.uk  

call: 01392 726055

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 30 days. If you do not receive a response, please contact the NIHR Service Desk for assistance.

Enforcement procedure

If you do not receive a response to the above request, please contact the NIHR Service Desk for further escalation.

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).

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

This website has been built using Google Sites. Please see the following link to the NIHR Hub Accessibility Statement which gives more information regarding the general use of Google Sites, including contact details for users who require further Accessibility support.

Health Service Modelling Associates (HSMA) Programme Code of Conduct

October 2023

Welcome to the HSMA Programme. This course is designed to help you learn new skills and knowledge in an engaging and interactive way. You will frequently be interacting with other learners, trainers, and mentors through various online platforms, such as live lectures, discussions and group exercises over Zoom, discussions and chats via Slack, and the HSMA YouTube channel.

As a member of this online learning community, you are expected to follow some basic rules of good online behaviour, also known as netiquette. These rules are intended to create a positive, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for everyone. By enrolling in this course, you agree to abide by this code of conduct.

Everyone in the HSMA community is expected to : 

• Be polite and courteous. Use appropriate language and tone when communicating with others. Avoid using profanity, insults, sarcasm, or personal attacks. Respect the opinions and perspectives of others, even if they differ from your own. Avoid interrupting others when they are speaking, and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute their voice.

• Be constructive and supportive. Provide helpful feedback and encouragement to others. Acknowledge the contributions and achievements of others. Appreciate that people learn at different speeds, and support others wherever you can. Avoid spamming, trolling, flaming, or disrupting online discussions.

• Be honest and ethical. Do not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify information. Do not share your login credentials or personal information with others. Do not misuse or abuse the online resources or platforms provided by the course.

• Be responsible and respectful. Follow the instructions and guidelines provided by the trainers and other programme staff. Undertake tasks and group exercises to the best of your ability. Contribute to group exercises, and allow and support others to contribute. Respect the privacy and confidentiality of others. Do not post or share any inappropriate, offensive, or illegal content or material.

• Be open-minded and curious. Explore new ideas and perspectives. Ask questions and seek clarification when needed. Learn from your mistakes and feedback. Challenge yourself and others to grow and improve.

If you encounter any issues or problems with the course content, platforms, or participants, please follow the Concerns and Complaints procedure.

Any violation of this code of conduct may result in disciplinary actions, such as warnings, removal from the course, or reporting to the authorities where illegal activity has been exposed. The course provider (NIHR PenARC) reserves the right to modify or update this code of conduct at any time without prior notice.

We hope that you enjoy the HSMA Programme and being part of the HSMA community.

We hope that participants' experience on HSMA is not only informative and educational, but also fun and enjoyable.  We endeavour to provide a safe, happy and inclusive learning environment for all of our participants.  However, should any participant have any concerns or complaints about any aspect of the programme, they should either :

a) contact the HSMA Programme Lead (Dr Daniel Chalk) in the first instance, either via direct message on the HSMA Slack Workspace, or via email (d.chalk@exeter.ac.uk)

b) if it is not appropriate to contact the Programme Lead (because the complaint / concern involves the Programme Lead, or because the participant would feel more comfortable speaking to someone else), the participant should contact one of the other programme staff.

c) if it is not appropriate to speak to any of the programme staff, the participant can raise their concern directly with the PenCHORD Management Team by emailing penchord@exeter.ac.uk.

Any concerns raised will be investigated and a full response issued.  If the participant is unhappy with the response, the matter will be referred to the management team for investigation.