Vomiting | NHS 24

Sore throat | NHS 24

Eye problems | NHS 24

Flu-like illness | NHS 24

Hay fever | NHS 24

Armed Forces | NHS 24

About NHS 24 | NHS 24

Menopause and mental wellbeing | NHS 24

Media enquiries | NHS 24

August 2023 | NHS 24

People using screen readers are not able to see the layout of a form. To make forms
accessible, they must define explicit text labels for each form control. 

Usually the best solution is to use a `<label>` element. The label may be linked to 
by the form control:

```html
<label for="name">Full name</label>
<input type="name" id="name">
```

or the `<label>` can be wrapped around the form control:

```html
<label>
    Full name <input type="name">
</label>
```

Buttons are different, as their labels are specified by the code for the button, e.g.

```html
<input type="submit" value="Send message">
<button>Send message</button>
```

Alternatively ARIA attributes, such as `aria-label` may be used, but this information
will not be conveyed to visual users. For more information, see [W3C's guide to labeling controls](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/forms/labels/).

Hidden input fields (`<input type="hidden">`) do not require labels.
Note that the `placeholder` attribute 
[should not be used as an alternative to a label](https://www.w3.org/TR/html/sec-forms.html#the-placeholder-attribute),
nor should the `title` attribute.

## Custom roles

Note that this check considers the underlying accessible role of an element, which can be 
different from the tag itself.

For example, this `<div>` has a `role` of `button`, and so is expected to have a label, like
a button would.

```html
<div role="button"></div>
```

form-control-labels

December 2025

November 2025

NHS24

	Title / URL	Issues
	Vomiting \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/vomiting/	4
	Sore throat \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/sore-throat/	4
	Eye problems \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/eye-problems/	4
	Flu-like illness \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/flu-like-illness/	4
	Hay fever \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/hay-fever/	4
	Armed Forces \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/careers/armed-forces/	1
	About NHS 24 \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/about-nhs-24/	1
	Menopause and mental wellbeing \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/check-your-symptoms/menopause-and-mental-wellbeing/	1
	Media enquiries \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/contact-us/media-enquiries/	1
	August 2023 \| NHS 24www.nhs24.scot/publications/board-papers/august-2023/	1

Ensure form controls have labels

NHS24

Where this issue has occurred