Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Abbey House Aged Care is 3.63 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’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
88% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 224 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
64% positive in 2025, compared with 83% in 2024: 19 percentage points lower.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How does Abbey House Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Abbey House Aged Care spent $183.54 per resident per day on care and nursing, 31% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $393.57 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 ($84.10), accommodation and maintenance ($65.64), and cleaning and laundry ($22.29) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($119.33) and registered nurses ($47.83).
What is the food like at Abbey House Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 64% of residents surveyed at Abbey House Aged Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 83% in 2024. Another 24% answered “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Abbey House Aged Care spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.02 per resident per day, 93% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Abbey House Aged Care, 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”.
64% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Abbey House Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 84% of residents surveyed at Abbey House Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, below the 89.5% average across other homes by 5.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (84% against 88.6%) and whether they feel safe (92% against 96.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 52% answered “always”, 32% “most of the time” and 16% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 84% of residents surveyed at Abbey House Aged Care answered “always” and 12% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Abbey House Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Abbey House Aged Care reported 224 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Abbey House Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 184 to 229.
Who provides that care?
Of the 224 minutes, personal care workers provided 179 (79.9%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.8%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.3%). Abbey House Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
