Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook is 3.15 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staff communication is a relative strength
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 232 vs 232 minutes; registered nurses: 45 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
61% positive in 2026, compared with 85% in 2025: 24 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 | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How does Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook in the 2024–25 financial year was $317.16 per resident per day, 20% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $449.99 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($33.17), accommodation and maintenance ($30.82), and cleaning and laundry ($28.22) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($174.68) and registered nurses ($79).
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 87.2% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (77% against 88.1%) and whether they feel safe (92% against 96.3%), 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: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 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 support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 23% answered “always”, 46% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook were asked whether they get the care they need, 46% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 85% in 2025. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% 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 Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook, 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”.
61% 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 Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook provide?
Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, matching its target of 232 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In three of the last four quarters, Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 232 to 246.
Who provides that care?
Of the 232 minutes, personal care workers provided 175 (75.4%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 19.4%) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes, 5.2%). Bolton Clarke Charlesbrook also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
