Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara is 3.82 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 226 minutes against a 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 45.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
71% positive in 2025, compared with 34% in 2024: 37 percentage points higher.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
71% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Support for independence is below the survey average
77% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
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 | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
What do residents say about ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 71% of residents surveyed at ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara answered “always” or “most of the time”, 22.2 percentage points below the average of 93.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (77% against 88.6%) and whether they get the care they need (88% against 94.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 94% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. Altogether, answers on 3 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 how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 47% answered “always”, 24% “most of the time”, 12% “some of the time” and 18% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 71% of residents surveyed at ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara answered “always” and 24% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara?
When residents surveyed at ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 71% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 37 percentage points higher than the 34% recorded in 2024. Another 24% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.48 per resident per day, 71% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara, breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 33% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
71% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara provide?
ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara reported 226 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 45.
ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 226 to 241 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 226 minutes, personal care workers provided 157 (69.5%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.4%) and enrolled nurses (23 minutes, 10.2%). In the same quarter, ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara also reported spending on physiotherapists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, ACH Group Residential Care - Milpara spent $433.91 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $269.60 was 2% above the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($62.77), accommodation and maintenance ($35.46), and cleaning and laundry ($24.32) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($145.56) and registered nurses ($41.12).
