Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Carinity Karinya Place is 4.19 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
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
46% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2026, compared with 92% in 2025: 23 percentage points lower.
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 | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.11% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.13% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Carinity Karinya Place?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 46% of residents surveyed at Carinity Karinya Place answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.1% average across other homes by 43.1 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (61% against 88.1%) and whether staff explain things to them (69% against 80.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.1%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 31% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time” and 54% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at Carinity Karinya Place answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Carinity Karinya Place provide?
Carinity Karinya Place reported 226 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 13 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Of those minutes, 50 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Carinity Karinya Place met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 211 to 226 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 176 of the 226 minutes (77.9%), followed by registered nurses (50 minutes, 22.1%). In the same quarter, Carinity Karinya Place also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Carinity Karinya Place?
When residents surveyed at Carinity Karinya Place for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 23 percentage points lower than the 92% recorded in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Carinity Karinya Place in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.55 per resident per day, 96% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Carinity Karinya Place, 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Carinity Karinya Place spend on resident care?
Total spending at Carinity Karinya Place in the 2024–25 financial year was $418.41 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.65 was 5% 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 ($59.57), accommodation and maintenance ($40.16), and cleaning and laundry ($21.44) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($150.39) and registered nurses ($67.99).
