Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre is 3.93 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
75% positive in 2026, compared with 50% in 2025: 25 percentage points higher.
Staff communication is a relative strength
95% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
How well the home is run is below the survey average
80% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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: 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre provide?
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 209 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 181 of the 229 minutes (79.0%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 21.0%). In the same quarter, Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 95% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (95% against 84.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 87.1%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 65% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time” and 20% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 95% answered “always” and 5% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre?
When residents surveyed at Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 7.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 50% in 2025. Another 5% answered “some of the time” and 20% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.59 per resident per day, 111% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre 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”.
75% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Catholic Healthcare Villa Maria Centre spent $429.90 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 58.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.92 was 5% 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 ($71.72), accommodation and maintenance ($35.99), and cleaning and laundry ($27.73) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($157.32) and registered nurses ($62.92).
