Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home is 4.52 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
77% positive in 2025, compared with 92% in 2024: 15 percentage points lower.
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.5% across other homes.
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 | 89.32% | 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 | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 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 Lewisham Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home reported 237 minutes of care per resident per day, 13 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 53 came from registered nurses, 8 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In three of the last four quarters, Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 227 to 237 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 237 minutes, personal care workers provided 184 (77.6%), followed by registered nurses (53 minutes, 22.4%). Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 93% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 11.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 85.2%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.5%. In all, answers on 2 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?
On a visit, you can ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. Of residents asked whether they feel safe, 54% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 69% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 92% in 2024. Another 23% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home 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 $0.11 per resident per day, 61% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
77% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home spend on resident care?
Total spending at Catholic Healthcare Lewisham Nursing Home in the 2024–25 financial year was $433.59 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $265.11 was in line with the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($75.86), cleaning and laundry ($29.79), and accommodation and maintenance ($21.01) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($154.71) and registered nurses ($79.42).
