Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Fernhill is 3.3 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
36% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
65% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% 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 | 89.35% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.29% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Fernhill?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 65% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Fernhill answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 24.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (61% against 81.8%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (68% against 88.6%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Bolton Clarke Fernhill were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 13% answered “always”, 52% “most of the time”, 29% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Fernhill were asked whether they feel safe, 48% answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 35% answered “always” and 58% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Fernhill?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 36% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Fernhill said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 34.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 41% in 2024. Another 52% answered “some of the time” and 13% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Fernhill spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.29 per resident per day, 4% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bolton Clarke Fernhill reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 49% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
36% 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 Fernhill provide?
Bolton Clarke Fernhill reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes above its target of 212 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Bolton Clarke Fernhill met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 218 to 226 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 172 of the 218 minutes (78.9%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.2%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). In the same quarter, Bolton Clarke Fernhill also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Bolton Clarke Fernhill spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bolton Clarke Fernhill spent $236.53 per resident per day on care and nursing, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $373.08 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 accommodation and maintenance ($36.81), administration ($35.59), and cleaning and laundry ($27.38) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($159) and registered nurses ($56.60).
