Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Arcare Gisborne is 3.3 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 60% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 205 vs 203 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
60% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.11% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.44% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.28% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Arcare Gisborne?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 60% of residents surveyed at Arcare Gisborne answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 88.1% average across other homes by 28.1 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (53% against 80.3%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (67% against 84.2%).
At Arcare Gisborne, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
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, 13% answered “always”, 47% “most of the time”, 33% “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 73% of residents surveyed at Arcare Gisborne answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 27% answered “always” and 53% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Arcare Gisborne?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 60% of residents surveyed at Arcare Gisborne said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 7.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 75% in 2025. Another 33% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Arcare Gisborne spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.09 per resident per day, 68% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Arcare Gisborne, 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”.
60% 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 Arcare Gisborne provide?
Arcare Gisborne reported 205 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 203 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 42.
Arcare Gisborne met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 222.
Who provides that care?
Of the 205 minutes, personal care workers provided 143 (69.8%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 20.0%) and enrolled nurses (21 minutes, 10.2%). In the same quarter, Arcare Gisborne also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
