Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Annandale Grove Care Community is 3.23 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Kind and caring staff is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.4% across other homes.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 28% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 230 minutes; registered nurses: 46 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
64% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.37% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.38% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.73% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Annandale Grove Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Annandale Grove Care Community for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 28.7 percentage points below the average of 92.7% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they feel safe (85% against 96.3%) and whether staff treat them with respect (85% against 95.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.4%. Altogether, 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 how residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 64% answered “always”, 7% “some of the time” and 29% “never”; none answered “most of the time”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 86% of residents surveyed at Annandale Grove Care Community answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Annandale Grove Care Community?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 28% of residents surveyed at Annandale Grove Care Community said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 39.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 78% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 21% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Annandale Grove Care Community spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.19 per resident per day, 32% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Annandale Grove Care Community 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”.
28% 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 Annandale Grove Care Community provide?
Annandale Grove Care Community reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes below its target of 230 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Annandale Grove Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 230.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 of the 223 minutes (79.4%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.6%). Annandale Grove Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Annandale Grove Care Community spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Annandale Grove Care Community spent $443.01 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $287.49 was 9% 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 accommodation and maintenance ($62.02), administration ($28.37), and cleaning and laundry ($24.85) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($174.02) and registered nurses ($66.96).
