Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Blacktown Nursing Home is 3.38 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staff communication is a relative strength
88% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 220 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
44% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% 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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.27% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.44% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.11% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.24% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Blacktown Nursing Home?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Blacktown Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, below the 84.2% average across other homes by 21.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they feel safe (76% against 96.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (69% against 89.1%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
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 80.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 38% answered “always”, 25% “most of the time”, 31% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 44% of residents surveyed at Blacktown Nursing Home answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Blacktown Nursing Home?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 44% of residents surveyed at Blacktown Nursing Home said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 23.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 53% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Blacktown Nursing Home spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% 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 Blacktown Nursing Home, 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”.
44% 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 Blacktown Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Blacktown Nursing Home reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes below its target of 222 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In three of the last four quarters, Blacktown Nursing Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 220 to 227 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 171 of the 220 minutes (77.7%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 19.5%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 2.7%). Blacktown Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Blacktown Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Blacktown Nursing Home spent $423.72 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 58.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $247.11 was 7% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($79.27), cleaning and laundry ($37.22), and accommodation and maintenance ($17.62) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($151.34) and registered nurses ($46.65).
