Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bupa Bendigo is 3.01 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.
Residents report stronger support for independence
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
87% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 206 vs 216 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 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 | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Bupa Bendigo provide?
Bupa Bendigo reported 206 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 10 minutes below its target of 216 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Bupa Bendigo met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 193 to 206 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 165 of the 206 minutes (80.1%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 18.9%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 1.0%). Bupa Bendigo also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Bupa Bendigo?
When residents surveyed at Bupa Bendigo for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 96% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.9 percentage points above the average of 87.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (87% against 80.3%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 70% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 84.2%. 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?
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, 40% answered “always”, 30% “most of the time”, 27% “some of the time” and 3% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Bupa Bendigo were asked whether they feel safe, 77% answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bupa Bendigo?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Bupa Bendigo said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share rose from 68% in 2025. Another 20% answered “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bupa Bendigo spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.24 per resident per day, 14% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bupa Bendigo 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”.
70% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Bupa Bendigo spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bupa Bendigo in the 2024–25 financial year was $415.06 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $262.04 was 1% below 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?
Other categories included administration ($62.92), accommodation and maintenance ($29.34), and cleaning and laundry ($28.70) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($155.79) and registered nurses ($57.22).
