Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village is 3.86 out of 5, compared with 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 is above average, with lower reported spending
74% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 201 vs 209 minutes; registered nurses: 45 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Support for independence is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 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 Jemalong Residential Village provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village reported 201 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes below its target of 209 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 201 to 207 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 146 of the 201 minutes (72.6%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 22.4%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 5.0%). Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village 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 Jemalong Residential Village?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 74% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 3.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share was also 74% in 2024. Another 21% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.32 per resident per day, 14% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village, 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”.
74% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village in the 2024–25 financial year was $234.92 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $430.78 per resident per day. 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 ($73.06), accommodation and maintenance ($44.47), and cleaning and laundry ($31.40) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($129.92) and registered nurses ($61.44).
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether staff know what they are doing (95% against 89.5%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 74% answered “always”, 11% “most of the time”, 11% “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 84% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village answered “always” and 16% “most of the time”.
