Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Arcare Eight Mile Plains is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two 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.
Residents report stronger support for independence
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 222 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 100% in 2024: 31 percentage points lower.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
74% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% 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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 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 |
What is the food like at Arcare Eight Mile Plains?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Arcare Eight Mile Plains said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 31 percentage points lower than the 100% recorded in 2024. Another 26% answered “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Food spending at Arcare Eight Mile Plains in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.16 per resident per day, 43% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Arcare Eight Mile Plains 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.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Arcare Eight Mile Plains?
When residents surveyed at Arcare Eight Mile Plains for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 74% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 15.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (87% against 94.5%) and whether staff know what they are doing (86% against 89.5%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 96% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 57% answered “always”, 17% “most of the time”, 22% “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Arcare Eight Mile Plains were asked whether they feel safe, 78% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Arcare Eight Mile Plains provide?
Arcare Eight Mile Plains reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Of those minutes, 41 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Arcare Eight Mile Plains 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 222 to 225.
Who provides that care?
Of the 222 minutes, personal care workers provided 169 (76.1%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 18.5%) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes, 5.4%). In the same quarter, Arcare Eight Mile Plains also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Arcare Eight Mile Plains spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Arcare Eight Mile Plains spent $389.95 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $258.55 was 2% below 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($38.58), accommodation and maintenance ($26.04), and cleaning and laundry ($24.67) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($150.59) and registered nurses ($49.19).
