Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Sandbrook is 4 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
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 62% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 231 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Bolton Clarke Sandbrook provide?
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Sandbrook reported 231 minutes of care per resident per day, 11 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Bolton Clarke Sandbrook meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 236.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 171 minutes, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes) and enrolled nurses (16 minutes). In the same quarter, Bolton Clarke Sandbrook also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Bolton Clarke Sandbrook spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bolton Clarke Sandbrook spent $228.91 per resident per day on care and nursing, 14% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $386.35 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 ($56.90), administration ($28.87), and cleaning and laundry ($20.57) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($134.57) and registered nurses ($59.45).
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Sandbrook?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 76% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Sandbrook answered “always” or “most of the time”, 13.3 percentage points below the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (86% against 95.9%) and whether staff know what they are doing (81% against 89.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 2 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 24% answered “always”, 52% “most of the time” and 24% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 71% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Sandbrook answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 71% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Sandbrook?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Sandbrook said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 8.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 24% answered “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
Food spending at Bolton Clarke Sandbrook in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bolton Clarke Sandbrook 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”.
62% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
