Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Arcare Portarlington is 3.78 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
90% positive in 2025, compared with 80% in 2024: 10 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
90% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 216 vs 212 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
68% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% 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 | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Arcare Portarlington?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 90% of residents surveyed at Arcare Portarlington said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 80% in 2024. Another 11% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Arcare Portarlington spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.34 per resident per day, 21% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Arcare Portarlington 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”.
90% 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 Portarlington?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Arcare Portarlington answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 68% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%. In all, answers on 3 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 5% answered “always”, 63% “most of the time” and 32% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Arcare Portarlington were asked whether they feel safe, 79% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 89% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Arcare Portarlington provide?
Arcare Portarlington reported 216 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 212 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In one of the last four quarters, Arcare Portarlington met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 216 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 216 minutes, personal care workers provided 153 (70.8%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 18.1%) and enrolled nurses (24 minutes, 11.1%). In the same quarter, Arcare Portarlington also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Arcare Portarlington spend on resident care?
Total spending at Arcare Portarlington in the 2024–25 financial year was $401.42 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $249.62 was 6% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($48.23), cleaning and laundry ($29.45), and accommodation and maintenance ($28.68) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($125.81) and registered nurses ($60.70).
