Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Birchip Nursing Home is 4.7 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 311 minutes against a 207-minute daily care target; RN time is 197 against 42.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Birchip Nursing Home provide?
Birchip Nursing Home reported 311 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 104 minutes above its target of 207 minutes. Of those minutes, 197 came from registered nurses, 155 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Birchip Nursing Home 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 302 to 311.
Who provides that care?
Of the 311 minutes, registered nurses provided 197 (63.3%), followed by enrolled nurses (108 minutes, 34.7%) and personal care workers (6 minutes, 1.9%). In the same quarter, Birchip Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Birchip Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Birchip Nursing Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 29.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share was also 100% in 2024.
Food spending at Birchip Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $29 per resident per day, 81% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Birchip Nursing Home reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Birchip Nursing Home, breakfast and lunch are cooked fresh, while dinner is prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
100% 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 Birchip Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Birchip Nursing Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Birchip Nursing Home, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Birchip Nursing Home were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 90% answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Birchip Nursing Home, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does Birchip Nursing Home spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Birchip Nursing Home in the 2024–25 financial year was $488.15 per resident per day, 84% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $754.28 per resident per day. 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 cleaning and laundry ($61.24), accommodation and maintenance ($53.07) and administration ($42.42) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to registered nurses ($263.39) and enrolled nurses ($157.41).
