Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge is 5 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
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 225 minutes against a 204-minute daily care target; RN time is 58 against 43.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% 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 | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.31% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 84.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge were asked whether they feel safe, 83% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 83% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How much care and nursing does Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day, 21 minutes above its target of 204 minutes. Of those minutes, 58 came from registered nurses, 15 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge 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 224 to 228.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 159 minutes, followed by registered nurses (58 minutes) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes). In the same quarter, Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 32.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 92% in 2025.
Food spending at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge 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 $0.71 per resident per day, 154% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge 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”.
100% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge spend on resident care?
Total spending at Catholic Healthcare Blakeney Lodge in the 2024–25 financial year was $449.29 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 58.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $262.98 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 administration ($86.11), accommodation and maintenance ($26.04), and cleaning and laundry ($25.25) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($128.99) and registered nurses ($100.69).
