Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bupa Bellarine Lakes 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
84% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 213 vs 216 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 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
64% 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Bupa Bellarine Lakes?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 95% of residents surveyed at Bupa Bellarine Lakes answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, above the 89.3% average across other homes by 5.7 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (94% against 89.5%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%. Altogether, answers on 3 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, 11% answered “always”, 53% “most of the time” and 37% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 84% of residents surveyed at Bupa Bellarine Lakes answered “always” and 16% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 79% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bupa Bellarine Lakes?
When residents surveyed at Bupa Bellarine Lakes for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 84% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 13.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 86% in 2024. Another 16% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Bupa Bellarine Lakes in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above 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 Bellarine Lakes, 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”.
84% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Bupa Bellarine Lakes provide?
In January to March 2026, Bupa Bellarine Lakes reported 213 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes below its target of 216 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Bupa Bellarine Lakes met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 194 to 213.
Who provides that care?
Of the 213 minutes, personal care workers provided 167 (78.4%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.7%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.9%). Bupa Bellarine Lakes also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Bupa Bellarine Lakes spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bupa Bellarine Lakes in the 2024–25 financial year was $438.05 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $263.84 was in line with the sector median of $264.85. 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 administration ($59.72), accommodation and maintenance ($51.17), and cleaning and laundry ($28.16) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($154.08) and registered nurses ($59.62).
