Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bene Aged Care - St Clair is 3.56 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Respectful treatment is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% across other homes.
Support for independence is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
2 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: 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 | 95.88% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.49% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Bene Aged Care - St Clair?
When residents surveyed at Bene Aged Care - St Clair for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 26.9 percentage points below the average of 95.9% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (62% against 88.6%) and whether they get the care they need (69% against 94.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect, 46% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 38% of residents surveyed at Bene Aged Care - St Clair answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Bene Aged Care - St Clair provide?
Bene Aged Care - St Clair reported 240 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 16 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Bene Aged Care - St Clair met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 240 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 162 of the 240 minutes (67.5%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 20.0%) and enrolled nurses (30 minutes, 12.5%). In the same quarter, Bene Aged Care - St Clair also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Bene Aged Care - St Clair?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Bene Aged Care - St Clair said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 9.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 92% in 2024. Another 23% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bene Aged Care - St Clair spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.56 per resident per day, 100% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bene Aged Care - St Clair, 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Bene Aged Care - St Clair spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bene Aged Care - St Clair in the 2024–25 financial year was $413.87 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $271.99 was 3% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($53.07), cleaning and laundry ($26.78), and accommodation and maintenance ($15.97) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($144.28) and registered nurses ($56.11).
