Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bethanie Fields 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 improved in the latest survey
77% positive in 2025, compared with 56% in 2024: 21 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
77% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Kind and caring staff is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.0% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 229 vs 224 minutes; registered nurses: 37 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 89.32% | 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 | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Bethanie Fields?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 77% of residents surveyed at Bethanie Fields said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 6.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 56% in 2024. Another 13% answered “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bethanie Fields spent $25 per resident per day on food, 56% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bethanie Fields 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”.
77% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Bethanie Fields provide?
Bethanie Fields reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 37 of those minutes, 8 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Bethanie Fields meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 215 to 229.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 187 of the 229 minutes (81.7%), followed by registered nurses (37 minutes, 16.2%) and enrolled nurses (5 minutes, 2.2%). In the same quarter, Bethanie Fields also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Bethanie Fields?
When residents surveyed at Bethanie Fields for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff are kind and caring, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 96.0% average across other homes by 4 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (93% against 89.3%) and whether they feel safe (100% against 96.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 43% answered “always”, 37% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 3% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 63% of residents surveyed at Bethanie Fields answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”.
How does Bethanie Fields spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bethanie Fields spent $436.70 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $268.85 was 2% above 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($94.19), accommodation and maintenance ($22.29), and cleaning and laundry ($19.92) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($168.61) and registered nurses ($56.69).
