Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bene St Pauls is 3.67 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 220 minutes against a 216-minute daily care target; RN time is 44 against 44.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
88% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
38% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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: 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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 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 Bene St Pauls?
When residents surveyed at Bene St Pauls for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 38% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 32.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 44% in 2024. Another 63% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Bene St Pauls in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.93 per resident per day, 232% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bene St Pauls, 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”.
38% 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 Bene St Pauls?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 76% of residents surveyed at Bene St Pauls answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 13.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (82% against 88.6%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (88% against 93.2%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 88% 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 above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 38% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bene St Pauls were asked whether they feel safe, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 63% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Bene St Pauls provide?
Bene St Pauls reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 216 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 44.
Bene St Pauls met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 213 to 223.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 143 of the 220 minutes (65.0%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.0%) and enrolled nurses (33 minutes, 15.0%). In the same quarter, Bene St Pauls also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Bene St Pauls spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Bene St Pauls in the 2024–25 financial year was $291.76 per resident per day, 10% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $441.66 per resident per day. 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 ($46.19), cleaning and laundry ($33.27), and accommodation and maintenance ($22.03) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.88) and registered nurses ($65.98).
