Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Buckland House Nursing Home is 4.12 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 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.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
67% positive in 2026, compared with 91% in 2025: 24 percentage points lower.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
67% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How does Buckland House Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Buckland House Nursing Home spent $391.10 per resident per day on care and nursing, 48% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $622.71 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?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($85.46), administration ($41.80), and cleaning and laundry ($38.99) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($172.61) and registered nurses ($161.55).
How much care and nursing does Buckland House Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Buckland House Nursing Home reported 242 minutes of care per resident per day, 7 minutes above its target of 235 minutes. Registered nurses provided 100 of those minutes, 54 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 46.
Who provides that care?
Of the 242 minutes, enrolled nurses provided 138 (57.0%), followed by registered nurses (100 minutes, 41.3%) and personal care workers (4 minutes, 1.7%). Buckland House Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Buckland House Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Buckland House Nursing Home for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 84.2% average across other homes by 15.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.3%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 67% answered “most of the time” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “always” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 75% of residents surveyed at Buckland House Nursing Home answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Buckland House Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Buckland House Nursing Home for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 24 percentage points lower than the 91% recorded in 2025. Another 33% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Buckland House Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $20 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.40 per resident per day, 43% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Buckland House Nursing Home 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
