Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Baptcare Karingal Community Care is 3.64 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 62% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 205 vs 211 minutes; registered nurses: 35 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.49% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Baptcare Karingal Community Care provide?
Baptcare Karingal Community Care reported 205 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes below its target of 211 minutes. Registered nurses provided 35 of those minutes, 8 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In one of the last four quarters, Baptcare Karingal Community Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 191 to 207 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 205 minutes, personal care workers provided 164 (80.0%), followed by registered nurses (35 minutes, 17.1%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 2.9%). In the same quarter, Baptcare Karingal Community Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Baptcare Karingal Community Care?
When residents surveyed at Baptcare Karingal Community Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they get the care they need, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 94.5% average across other homes by 27.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (86% against 96.0%) and whether staff treat them with respect (90% against 95.9%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. Of residents asked whether they get the care they need, 67% answered “always” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Baptcare Karingal Community Care were asked whether they feel safe, 81% answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Baptcare Karingal Community Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Baptcare Karingal Community Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 8.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 87% in 2024. Another 33% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Baptcare Karingal Community Care spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.35 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Baptcare Karingal Community Care, 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”.
62% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Baptcare Karingal Community Care spend on resident care?
Total spending at Baptcare Karingal Community Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $468.41 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $281.05 was 6% 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 administration ($79.36), cleaning and laundry ($35.93), and accommodation and maintenance ($29.22) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($159.94) and registered nurses ($69.48).
