Building Inclusive Healthcare: Why Rainbow Tick Accreditation Matters
In partnership with Rainbow Health Australia, ACHS supports organisations to move into measurable, system-wide inclusion through Rainbow Tick Accreditation.
LGBTIQ+ communities continue to experience discrimination and barriers within healthcare settings, impacting access, trust, and health outcomes. Real change comes from sustained action embedded into everyday practice.
What is Rainbow Tick Accreditation?
Rainbow Tick is a world-first quality framework designed to help health and human service organisations demonstrate they are safe, inclusive, and affirming for LGBTIQ+ communities, both as service providers and employers. Developed by Rainbow Health Australia, it provides a structured approach to embedding inclusion into governance, workforce capability, and service delivery.
Why it matters
Evidence continues to show that LGBTIQ+ people face inequities in healthcare access and outcomes, including experiences of discrimination and poorer mental health outcomes (NSW Health, 2022). Embedding inclusive practice is a critical step in addressing these gaps and building safer, more equitable services. Rainbow Tick Accreditation signals a clear commitment that your organisation is a safe, respectful, and inclusive place for LGBTIQ+ communities.
The NSW Health LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022–2027 outlines the following key findings:
- LGBTIQ+ people consistently report poorer overall health outcomes than the general population, alongside significantly higher rates of psychological distress and mental health conditions.
- Many experience barriers to safe, inclusive healthcare, with limited access to LGBTIQ+ affirming services and gaps in clinician understanding of specific health needs.
- Discrimination, stigma, and fear of disclosure continue to impact access to care, trust in health services, and overall wellbeing across multiple settings.
- Certain groups experience compounded inequities, including transgender and gender diverse people facing barriers to gender-affirming care, and intersex people reporting limited provider knowledge and support.
- Intersectional factors such as culture, disability, geography, and age further shape health outcomes, reinforcing the need for responsive, person-centred, and inclusive care.
Why choose ACHS?
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards is proud to be an independent provider of Rainbow Tick Accreditation, supporting organisations through every stage of the process. ACHS offers:
- Deep expertise in accreditation and quality systems
- Support trusted by more than 1,800 healthcare organisations
- Dedicated guidance throughout pre-assessment, self-assessment, and review
- Practical advice to support continuous improvement
Explore Resources from Rainbow Health Australia
To support organisations on their journey toward inclusion, Rainbow Health Australia provides a wide range of practical, evidence-based resources designed to build capability and strengthen LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice in health and human services.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Rainbow Tick and how to get accredited, please get in contact via our website here.
Reference
NSW Health. (March, 2022). NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022-2027
