Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Blakehurst Aged Care Centre is 4.15 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
72% positive in 2026, compared with 95% in 2025: 23 percentage points lower.
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 | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Blakehurst Aged Care Centre?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 88.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Blakehurst Aged Care Centre, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 8 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre were asked whether they feel safe, 73% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 77% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre was 96% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 95% in 2025. Another 27% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Blakehurst Aged Care Centre spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.12 per resident per day, 57% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Blakehurst Aged Care Centre, 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”.
72% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Blakehurst Aged Care Centre spend on resident care?
Total spending at Blakehurst Aged Care Centre in the 2024–25 financial year was $394.69 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $249.51 was 6% below the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($37.62), administration ($33.50), and cleaning and laundry ($23.46) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($145.99) and registered nurses ($62.85).
How much care and nursing does Blakehurst Aged Care Centre provide?
Blakehurst Aged Care Centre reported 216 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Blakehurst Aged Care Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 225 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 216 minutes, personal care workers provided 168 (77.8%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.4%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.9%). Blakehurst Aged Care Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
