Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bupa Templestowe 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 improved in the latest survey
71% positive in 2025, compared with 40% in 2024: 31 percentage points higher.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 214 vs 217 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 43 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.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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: 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Bupa Templestowe provide?
Bupa Templestowe reported 214 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 3 minutes below its target of 217 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did Bupa Templestowe meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 200 to 214 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 169 of the 214 minutes (79.0%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 20.1%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). In the same quarter, Bupa Templestowe also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Bupa Templestowe?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 96% of residents surveyed at Bupa Templestowe answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 10.8 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 81.8%) and whether staff are kind and caring (101% against 96.0%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. In all, 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 staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 33% answered “always”, 42% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 63% of residents surveyed at Bupa Templestowe answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 46% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Bupa Templestowe?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 71% of residents surveyed at Bupa Templestowe said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 31 percentage points higher than the 40% recorded in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bupa Templestowe spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% 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?
Bupa Templestowe 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”.
71% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Bupa Templestowe spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bupa Templestowe in the 2024–25 financial year was $445.93 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $272.56 was 3% above 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?
Other categories included administration ($62.25), accommodation and maintenance ($51.27), and cleaning and laundry ($25.99) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($161.45) and registered nurses ($62.81).
