NADC accreditation of a Diabetes Centre is a formal recognition that its activities meets certain standards and provides people living with diabetes with good quality education and clinical management.  Accreditation is both a status and a process. As a status, accreditation provides public notification that the Diabetes Centre meets standards of quality set forth by NADC. As a process, accreditation reflects the fact that in achieving recognition, the institution is committed to self-examination and external review by one's peers in seeking not only to meet standards but to continuously seek ways in which to enhance the quality of care provided.  The 14 criteria that need to be met are comprehensive and certainly set standards of excellence to which each centre must strive.  They allow the applying Centre to reflect on its strengths and weaknesses and to implement methods to improve on the latter.  Importantly, however, accreditation is only meaningful and sustainable if there is privilege and advantage for the Centre.  It raises a lot of questions such as : how will the accreditation system have relevance and meaning?; is it sufficiently in-depth ?; will accreditation be inclusive or exclusive?  The privilege and advantage should be more than financial.  Accredited centres need to lead diabetes care in Australia.  To allow for high quality and innovative work, staffing and resources need to be adequate.  Thus, does the more routine work need to be done by others? Being an accredited NADC Diabetes Centre should speak to a sense of public trust and public accountability, as well as to professional quality. Ultimately accreditation should lead to improved patient care across Australia.