Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The residents’ experience rating for Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care is 5 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.62. 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 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% 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 | 2366 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2455 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2457 |
| 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 | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 92% of residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 21.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 8% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
How are meals prepared?
Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
92% of surveyed residents
Meal preparation
How meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 14.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care, 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?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 100% answered “always”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Catholic Healthcare St Francis Aged Care spent $197.55 per resident per day on care and nursing, 25% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $328.30 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?
The rest went to administration ($65.30), food and catering ($34.25), cleaning and laundry ($19.50), and accommodation and maintenance ($11.70) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($113.98) and registered nurses ($60.63). Food and catering spending was 20% below its sector median of $42.71.
