Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bupa Ballarat is 3.38 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
86% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
86% positive in 2025, compared with 56% in 2024: 30 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 205 vs 206 minutes; registered nurses: 46 vs 42 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
65% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% 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: 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Bupa Ballarat?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 86% of residents surveyed at Bupa Ballarat said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 15.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 56% in 2024. Another 11% answered “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bupa Ballarat spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.25 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bupa Ballarat, 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”.
86% 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 Bupa Ballarat?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Bupa Ballarat answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 6.8 percentage points above the average of 93.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 96.0%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 65% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
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”, 54% “most of the time”, 29% “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bupa Ballarat were asked whether they feel safe, 86% answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 68% answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Bupa Ballarat provide?
Bupa Ballarat reported 205 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute below its target of 206 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Bupa Ballarat met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 192 to 205 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 159 of the 205 minutes (77.6%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 22.4%). Bupa Ballarat also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Bupa Ballarat spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bupa Ballarat in the 2024–25 financial year was $427.61 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $262.63 was 1% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($57.65), accommodation and maintenance ($45.93), and cleaning and laundry ($28.66) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($156.17) and registered nurses ($65.25).
