Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Capecare is 3.23 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
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 210 vs 217 minutes; registered nurses: 46 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
63% positive in 2026, compared with 85% in 2025: 22 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Capecare provide?
Capecare reported 210 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes below its target of 217 minutes. Of those minutes, 46 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Capecare 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 210 to 242.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 157 of the 210 minutes (74.8%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 21.9%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.3%). Capecare also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Capecare spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Capecare spent $308.90 per resident per day on care and nursing, 17% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $476.65 per resident per day. 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 ($52), accommodation and maintenance ($36.40), and cleaning and laundry ($33.43) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($199.18) and registered nurses ($65.84).
What is the food like at Capecare?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Capecare said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 85% in 2025. Another 37% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Capecare spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.36 per resident per day, 29% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Capecare 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”.
63% 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 Capecare?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Capecare answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, above the 92.7% average across other homes by 7.3 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (95% against 89.1%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%. In all, 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 16% answered “always”, 63% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Capecare were asked whether they feel safe, 79% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
