Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Carinity Colthup Manor is 3.93 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 239 minutes against a 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 47 against 45.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
64% positive in 2026, compared with 100% in 2025: 36 percentage points lower.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
64% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Carinity Colthup Manor provide?
In January to March 2026, Carinity Colthup Manor reported 239 minutes of care per resident per day, 15 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Carinity Colthup Manor met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 239 to 249.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 192 of the 239 minutes (80.3%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 19.7%). Carinity Colthup Manor also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Carinity Colthup Manor?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Carinity Colthup Manor answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, above the 84.2% average across other homes by 15.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether staff explain things to them (93% against 80.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 71% answered “always”, 14% “most of the time” and 14% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Carinity Colthup Manor were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 100% answered “always”.
What is the food like at Carinity Colthup Manor?
When residents surveyed at Carinity Colthup Manor for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 3.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2025. Another 21% answered “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Carinity Colthup Manor spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Carinity Colthup Manor reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Carinity Colthup Manor 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”.
64% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Carinity Colthup Manor spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Carinity Colthup Manor spent $416.01 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $272.82 was 3% above 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 ($52.06), accommodation and maintenance ($27.94), and cleaning and laundry ($23.11) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($177.56) and registered nurses ($57.84).
