Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for 501 Respite & Care Services is 3.41 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 182 vs 210 minutes; registered nurses: 50 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 84% in 2024: 15 percentage points lower.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2025 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2025 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does 501 Respite & Care Services provide?
501 Respite & Care Services reported 182 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 28 minutes below its target of 210 minutes. Registered nurses provided 50 of those minutes, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did 501 Respite & Care Services meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 182 to 192 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 126 minutes, followed by registered nurses (50 minutes) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes). 501 Respite & Care Services also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about 501 Respite & Care Services?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at 501 Respite & Care Services answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 81.8% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 69% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time”, 8% “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at 501 Respite & Care Services were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 77% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
How does 501 Respite & Care Services spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at 501 Respite & Care Services in the 2024–25 financial year was $233.62 per resident per day, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $314.24 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($22.77), cleaning and laundry ($22.56), and accommodation and maintenance ($10.81) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($116.93) and registered nurses ($51.92).
What is the food like at 501 Respite & Care Services?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at 501 Respite & Care Services said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 15 percentage points lower than the 84% recorded in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, 501 Respite & Care Services spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.35 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
501 Respite & Care Services reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
