Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Somerton Park is 3.27 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 232 vs 214 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
44% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
2 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: 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 | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.29% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.24% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.43% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Somerton Park?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 44% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 36.3 percentage points below the average of 80.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (61% against 84.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (72% against 87.2%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Bolton Clarke Somerton Park, 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 how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 11% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time”, 28% “some of the time” and 28% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park were asked whether they feel safe, 56% answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 33% answered “always” and 50% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Bolton Clarke Somerton Park provide?
Bolton Clarke Somerton Park reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 18 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
Bolton Clarke Somerton Park met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 219 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 232 minutes, personal care workers provided 187 (80.6%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 17.7%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.7%). In the same quarter, Bolton Clarke Somerton Park also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Bolton Clarke Somerton Park spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park in the 2024–25 financial year was $237.85 per resident per day, 10% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $429.41 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 ($90.74), administration ($32.36), and cleaning and laundry ($31.71) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($155.64) and registered nurses ($50.86).
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 5.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2025. Another 33% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at Bolton Clarke Somerton Park in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.10 per resident per day, 64% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bolton Clarke Somerton Park reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 43% are prepared on site and the rest off 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.
