Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Baptistcare Gracewood is 3.6 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 213 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
59% positive in 2026, compared with 77% in 2025: 18 percentage points lower.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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: 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 | 95.37% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 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 | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Baptistcare Gracewood provide?
In January to March 2026, Baptistcare Gracewood reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day, 5 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
Baptistcare Gracewood met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 204 to 221 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 218 minutes, personal care workers provided 152 (69.7%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 18.8%) and enrolled nurses (25 minutes, 11.5%). In the same quarter, Baptistcare Gracewood also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Baptistcare Gracewood?
When residents surveyed at Baptistcare Gracewood for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 82% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 95.4% average across other homes by 13.4 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (73% against 84.2%) and whether the home is well run (82% against 88.1%).
At Baptistcare Gracewood, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 4 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. Of residents asked whether staff treat them with respect, 50% answered “always”, 32% “most of the time” and 18% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 82% of residents surveyed at Baptistcare Gracewood answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 64% answered “always” and 32% “most of the time”.
How does Baptistcare Gracewood spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Baptistcare Gracewood spent $396.34 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $241.71 was 9% 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 ($57.86), accommodation and maintenance ($29.47), and cleaning and laundry ($23.32) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($135.30) and registered nurses ($54.20).
What is the food like at Baptistcare Gracewood?
When residents surveyed at Baptistcare Gracewood for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 59% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2025. Another 23% answered “some of the time” and 18% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Baptistcare Gracewood spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.67 per resident per day, 139% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Baptistcare Gracewood, 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”.
59% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
