Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon is 3.78 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 233 minutes against a 222-minute daily care target; RN time is 47 against 44.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
88% positive in 2025, compared with 60% in 2024: 28 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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: 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 | 3.07 | 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon provide?
Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon reported 233 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 11 minutes above its target of 222 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 231 to 233.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 186 of the 233 minutes (79.8%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 20.2%). Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 88% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2024. Another 12% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.14 per resident per day, 50% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon, 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”.
88% 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 Croydon?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 14.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon were asked whether they feel safe, 72% answered “always” and 24% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 80% answered “always” and 20% “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 Holy Spirit Croydon was 96% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 92% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Croydon spent $458.31 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $270.85 was 2% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($77.48), cleaning and laundry ($29.86), and accommodation and maintenance ($29.38) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($169.94) and registered nurses ($65.98).
