Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Arcare Warners Bay is 3.48 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
91% positive in 2025, compared with 76% in 2024: 15 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
91% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 202 vs 201 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 42 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.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Arcare Warners Bay?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Arcare Warners Bay answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (96% against 81.8%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%).
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Arcare Warners Bay were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Arcare Warners Bay were asked whether they feel safe, 86% answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 64% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Arcare Warners Bay was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 91% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
What is the food like at Arcare Warners Bay?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 91% of residents surveyed at Arcare Warners Bay said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 20.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 76% in 2024. Another 9% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Arcare Warners Bay in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.23 per resident per day, 18% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Arcare Warners Bay 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”.
91% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Arcare Warners Bay spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Arcare Warners Bay spent $237.42 per resident per day on care and nursing, 10% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $434.52 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($98.78), cleaning and laundry ($27.45) and administration ($20.86) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($139.32) and registered nurses ($58.24).
How much care and nursing does Arcare Warners Bay provide?
In January to March 2026, Arcare Warners Bay reported 202 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 201 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 42.
In none of the last four quarters did Arcare Warners Bay meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 189 to 202 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 160 of the 202 minutes (79.2%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.5%). In the same quarter, Arcare Warners Bay also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
