Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo is 4.45 out of 5, compared with 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 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 45.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 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: 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 | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 88.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo 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?
Asked whether they feel safe, 77% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 31% “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 Dubbo was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 84% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 16.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 85% in 2025. Another 15% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.90 per resident per day, 221% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo 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”.
84% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo spend on resident care?
Total spending at Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo in the 2024–25 financial year was $523.95 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 53.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $279.93 was 6% 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 ($76.64), accommodation and maintenance ($39.75), and cleaning and laundry ($29.84) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($164.38) and registered nurses ($78.53).
How much care and nursing does Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo 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 225 to 239.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 175 minutes, followed by registered nurses (45 minutes) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes). In the same quarter, Catholic Healthcare Holy Spirit Dubbo also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
