Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bethanie Kingsley is 3.68 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
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
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
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$11 a day vs a $16 sector median; 59% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 209 minutes; registered nurses: 48 vs 43 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.
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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 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 Kingsley?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 59% of residents surveyed at Bethanie Kingsley said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 11.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 66% in 2024. Another 33% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bethanie Kingsley spent $11 per resident per day on food, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bethanie Kingsley, 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.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Bethanie Kingsley?
When residents surveyed at Bethanie Kingsley for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 81.8% average across other homes by 14.8 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (83% against 94.5%) and whether the home is well run (83% against 89.3%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. 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?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 17% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 75% of residents surveyed at Bethanie Kingsley answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Bethanie Kingsley provide?
In January to March 2026, Bethanie Kingsley reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes below its target of 209 minutes. Of those minutes, 48 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Bethanie Kingsley met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 202 to 210 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 207 minutes, personal care workers provided 137 (66.2%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 23.2%) and enrolled nurses (22 minutes, 10.6%). In the same quarter, Bethanie Kingsley also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Bethanie Kingsley spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bethanie Kingsley spent $433 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $272.15 was 3% 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 ($91.63), accommodation and maintenance ($27.31), and cleaning and laundry ($10.68) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($130.37) and registered nurses ($74.77).
