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Publication duties
The rules set 30 June after the reporting year ends. By that date the provider publishes the account on a website. The provider also sends a copy to the Secretary of State. The regulation names NHS Choices first, but nhs.uk no longer accepts uploads. NHS England asks providers to publish on their own site and email the link.
A reference note from Dan Malone, who builds software products.
The rule
“By 30th June following the end of the reporting period— (a) the relevant document must be published by making the document electronically available on the NHS Choices website”
The facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication deadline | The account must be electronically available by 30 June after the reporting period ends. The regulation names the NHS Choices website, or another website if that one is not available. Source |
| Second duty on the same date | By the same 30 June date the provider must send a copy of the account to the Secretary of State. Source |
| Who is in scope | NHS Standard Contract providers must publish. NHS England states the threshold as over 50 staff and NHS income over £130k. Regulation 3 exempts a provider only if it is under both. Source |
| Required structure | The document has 4 parts. Part 1 is the provider view, Part 2 prescribed information, Part 3 other information, Part 4 the annex. Source |
| Improvement priorities | Part 2 must set out at least three improvement priorities for the next 12 months. It must also report progress since the last account. For each priority it must say how progress is monitored, measured and reported. Source |
| Signature | A written statement at the end of Part 1 must confirm the information is accurate. The responsible person signs it. For a body corporate or partnership that is the most senior employee. Source |
| Third-party statements | The annex carries the Local Healthwatch and scrutiny committee statements, each up to 1000 words. It also carries a provider note of changes made. Source |
| Draft circulation window | The provider must send the draft within 30 days beginning 1 April after the reporting period. Recipients are NHS England or the ICB, Local Healthwatch, and the scrutiny committee. Source |
| Where it now goes | The nhs.uk website no longer accepts report uploads. NHS England asks providers to upload the account to a clearly visible page on their own website. Source |
| Link submission addresses | NHS providers email the webpage link to quality-accounts@nhs.net. Independent providers email QualityAccounts@dhsc.gov.uk. Source |
| Website accessibility standard | Public sector websites must meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement. PDFs published from 23 September 2018 are in scope. Source |
| Annual audit list | HQIP published the NHS England Quality Accounts List 2026-27 on 22 January 2026. It names the programmes trusts should prioritise in the account. Source |
The artefact
What goes wrong
/01
The page goes live in July, so the 30 June date is missed
/02
Nobody emails the link, so NHS England or DHSC has no record of publication
/03
The account sits in an untagged PDF, so screen readers cannot read the tables
/04
The file is buried three levels down under Publications, so the public cannot find it
/05
The new account replaces the old one at the same URL, so prior years disappear
/06
The annex misses a 1000-word statement that arrived close to the deadline
/07
Part 2 wording is paraphrased, so the prescribed statements no longer appear
/08
The accessibility statement on the site is stale and does not name the known problems
Who supplies this
Publishes the annual NHS England Quality Accounts List and the reporting guidance that Part 2 draws on.
https://www.hqip.org.uk/further-resources/quality-accounts/
Free NHS content, accessibility and design standards for the page that holds the account.
https://service-manual.nhs.uk/
CMS vendor with NHS and public sector clients; used for trust websites and document publishing.
https://www.zengenti.com/
Accessibility monitoring tool used across the public sector to test pages and PDFs against WCAG.
https://silktide.com/
Public buying route for website and accessibility suppliers, so trusts can procure without a new tender.
https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/
Send the duty, the deadline and where it has to sit. What comes back is a written scope for the page, or a straight answer that you do not need one.
Send the briefLast checked 2026-09-01 · Published 2026-09-01
This page is reference material, not legal advice. Your advisor owns what applies to you.