Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The residents’ experience rating for Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility is 3 out of 5, against a national average of 3.62. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 57% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
57% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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 | 2366 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2396 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.38% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.12% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.28% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.44% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 57% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 32.1 percentage points below the average of 89.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (71% against 95.4%) and whether the home is well run (64% against 88.1%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. Of residents asked whether staff know what they are doing, 36% answered “always”, 21% “most of the time” and 43% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility were asked whether they feel safe, 50% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 57% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility provide?
Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility reported 226 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Who provides that care?
Of the 226 minutes, personal care workers provided 178 (78.8%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 19.9%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.3%). In the same quarter, Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 57% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Blue Care Kirra Aged Care Facility 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”.
57% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
