Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Boronia House is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
52% positive in 2026, compared with 67% in 2025: 15 percentage points lower.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
52% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
72% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% 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: 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 | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How does Boronia House spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Boronia House spent $177.52 per resident per day on care and nursing, 33% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $366.41 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 administration ($77.89), accommodation and maintenance ($57.43), and cleaning and laundry ($21.64) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($120.44) and registered nurses ($43.04).
What is the food like at Boronia House?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 52% of residents surveyed at Boronia House said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 15.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 67% in 2025. Another 32% answered “some of the time” and 16% “never”.
Food spending at Boronia House in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.09 per resident per day, 68% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Boronia House, 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”.
52% 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 Boronia House?
When residents surveyed at Boronia House for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 72% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 12.2 percentage points below the average of 84.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (76% against 87.2%) and whether staff are kind and caring (88% against 95.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 56% answered “always”, 16% “most of the time” and 28% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Boronia House were asked whether they feel safe, 88% answered “always” and 4% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 80% answered “always” and 12% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Boronia House provide?
Boronia House reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 215 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Boronia House met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 187 to 225 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 219 minutes, personal care workers provided 174 (79.5%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.5%). Boronia House also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
