Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens is 4.3 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 222 minutes against a 215-minute daily care target; RN time is 48 against 43.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
61% positive in 2025, compared with 46% in 2024: 15 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 70.3% 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 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 Our Lady of Loreto Gardens provide?
Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In each of the last four quarters, Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 222 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 222 minutes, personal care workers provided 174 (78.4%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 21.6%). Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens 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 Our Lady of Loreto Gardens?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 88.6% average across other homes by 11.4 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes 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%).
At Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 38% “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 Our Lady of Loreto Gardens was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 9.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 46% in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.46 per resident per day, 64% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens, 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Catholic Healthcare Our Lady of Loreto Gardens spent $437.46 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 54.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $239.45 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($67.21), accommodation and maintenance ($51.14), and cleaning and laundry ($32.08) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($149) and registered nurses ($61.63).
