Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat is 3.38 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 is above average, with lower reported spending
84% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Residents report stronger support for independence
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 38 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.11% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 27.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (61% against 80.3%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (70% against 84.2%).
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 92.7%. In all, answers on 4 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 38% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 92% of residents surveyed at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 38% answered “always” and 54% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat?
When residents surveyed at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 84% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 16.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 77% in 2025. Another 8% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.02 per resident per day, 93% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat 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”.
84% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat spend on resident care?
Total spending at Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat in the 2024–25 financial year was $383.95 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $251.30 was 5% 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 ($47.95), accommodation and maintenance ($26.59), and cleaning and laundry ($22.76) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($140.34) and registered nurses ($59.32).
How much care and nursing does Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat provide?
In January to March 2026, Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Of those minutes, 38 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 222 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 151 of the 223 minutes (67.7%), followed by registered nurses (38 minutes, 17.0%) and enrolled nurses (34 minutes, 15.2%). Benetas St Laurence Court - Kangaroo Flat also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
