Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Inverpine is 3.82 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 215 minutes against a 214-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 43.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
50% positive in 2025, compared with 79% in 2024: 29 percentage points lower.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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: 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Inverpine?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Inverpine said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 79% in 2024. Another 50% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Inverpine spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.54 per resident per day, 93% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bolton Clarke Inverpine, breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 46% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
50% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Inverpine?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 72% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Inverpine answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 85.2% average across other homes by 13.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (83% against 89.3%) and whether staff explain things to them (77% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.5%. In all, 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 22% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 28% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 67% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Inverpine answered “always” and 28% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 72% answered “always” and 22% “most of the time”.
How does Bolton Clarke Inverpine spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Bolton Clarke Inverpine in the 2024–25 financial year was $218.43 per resident per day, 18% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $354.91 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 accommodation and maintenance ($41.05), administration ($37.70), and cleaning and laundry ($26.41) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.51) and registered nurses ($56.33).
How much care and nursing does Bolton Clarke Inverpine provide?
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Inverpine reported 215 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 214 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Bolton Clarke Inverpine met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 224 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 215 minutes, personal care workers provided 165 (76.7%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.9%) and enrolled nurses (5 minutes, 2.3%). In the same quarter, Bolton Clarke Inverpine also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
