Growing staff allyship
Our most recent staff survey around LGBTIQA + inclusive practice shows our commitment to providing services that are inclusive for LGBTIQA + individuals and to providing a workplace that is inclusive for all employees and volunteers .
We achieved our highest survey completion rate ever this year , with a significant increase in positive responses to the same question in the 2021 survey .
79.53 % of staff worked with clients who identify as LGBTIQA + at Merri Health – up 13.4 %
61.24 % rated their knowledge of the needs , barriers and issues affecting the LGBTIQA + community as ‘ somewhat knowledgeable ’ – up 17.84 %
72.09 % believed there are no barriers for LGBTIQA + consumers to access services at Merri Health – up 1.5 %
96.13 % said they had never experienced discrimination at Merri Health because of their gender identity or sexual orientation – up 2.01 %
79.01 % of staff described their gender identity – up 8.18 %
Henry presenting at IDAHOBIT film screening event .
95 % said they were not aware of any situations where LGBTIQA + clients or staff have been discriminated against on the basis of their gender identity or sexuality by Merri Health staff or other clients – up 4.24 %
Where can we improve ?
meeting consumer demand in a timely fashion is an ongoing challenge , especially as we have limited services and resources for our target communities
What ’ s next ?
continuing to partner with our community and community representatives , who are critical to the way we shape and deliver our services into the future
engaging with the alcohol and other drug sector partners and advocating for LGBTIQA + inclusive practices
developing stronger partnerships with service providers and community groups
continuing to deliver quality services in multiple ways , including outreach , Telehealth and centre-based appointments and services
Rainbow Tick accreditation
We are thrilled to share that when we had our full 3-year accreditation against the Rainbow Tick standards at the end of 2022 , we met all standards inclusive of indicators .
The assessors were especially impressed with :
how the way we operate reflects our purpose and values
the visibility of leadership from our Board , Executive and staff
our willingness to learn and find ways to do better
our sector leadership , in terms of practice and development
our passion for supporting our LGBTIQA + community and consumers
our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion
our quality , safety and risk management , collaboration and networking and community engagement culture and practices
Where can we improve ?
supporting staff to report activities and provide relevant information is an ongoing challenge . Updating our reporting tool has made it easier for staff to report ; we will continue to focus on this
What ’ s next ?
running interactive training sessions to diverse Merri Health teams to help build their reporting capacity
Merri Health Annual Report 2023 67