Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula is 4.08 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
50% positive in 2025, compared with 40% in 2024: 10 percentage points higher.
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’ 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
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
82% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
89% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% 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: 2025 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 2025 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 40% in 2024. Another 50% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.19 per resident per day, 32% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula, 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”.
50% 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 Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 97% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, 7.7 percentage points above the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (93% against 88.6%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 82% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.5%. 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 61% answered “always”, 21% “most of the time” and 18% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 96% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula answered “always”.
How does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula spend on resident care?
Total spending at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula in the 2024–25 financial year was $408.14 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 58.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $239.19 was 10% 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 ($69.54), accommodation and maintenance ($30.42), and cleaning and laundry ($26.07) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($148.44) and registered nurses ($61.18).
How much care and nursing does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 211 to 223 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (47 minutes). Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Casula also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
