Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke The Terraces is 3.67 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.
Staff communication is a relative strength
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 43% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
43% positive in 2026, compared with 61% in 2025: 18 percentage points lower.
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: 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke The Terraces?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 43% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke The Terraces said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 24.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 61% in 2025. Another 43% answered “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke The Terraces spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.33 per resident per day, 18% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bolton Clarke The Terraces, 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”.
43% 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 The Terraces?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 93% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke The Terraces answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 12.8 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 95.4%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (97% against 92.7%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 84.2%.
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, 43% answered “always”, 32% “most of the time”, 21% “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke The Terraces were asked whether they feel safe, 75% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 64% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”.
How does Bolton Clarke The Terraces spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bolton Clarke The Terraces spent $228.71 per resident per day on care and nursing, 14% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $424.92 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($91.71), administration ($28.31), 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 ($128.24) and registered nurses ($60.82).
How much care and nursing does Bolton Clarke The Terraces provide?
Bolton Clarke The Terraces reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 218 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In three of the last four quarters, Bolton Clarke The Terraces met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 209 to 221.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 162 of the 220 minutes (73.6%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.5%) and enrolled nurses (13 minutes, 5.9%). Bolton Clarke The Terraces also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
