Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Burswood Care Sunshine Park is 4.3 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.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 213 minutes against a 212-minute daily care target; RN time is 49 against 43.
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
42% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
42% positive in 2026, compared with 84% in 2025: 42 percentage points lower.
Support for independence is below the survey average
83% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% 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 | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Burswood Care Sunshine Park?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Burswood Care Sunshine Park answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 88.1%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 83% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 33% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 17% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Burswood Care Sunshine Park answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Burswood Care Sunshine Park?
When residents surveyed at Burswood Care Sunshine Park for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 42% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 25.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 84% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Burswood Care Sunshine Park in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Burswood Care Sunshine Park reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Burswood Care Sunshine Park 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”.
42% 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 Burswood Care Sunshine Park provide?
In January to March 2026, Burswood Care Sunshine Park reported 213 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 212 minutes. Registered nurses provided 49 of those minutes, 6 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Burswood Care Sunshine Park met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 213 to 217 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 213 minutes, personal care workers provided 164 (77.0%), followed by registered nurses (49 minutes, 23.0%). Burswood Care Sunshine Park also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Burswood Care Sunshine Park spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Burswood Care Sunshine Park spent $372.69 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 70.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $262.31 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 cleaning and laundry ($27.04), accommodation and maintenance ($26.59) and administration ($17.26) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($143.35) and registered nurses ($63.44).
