Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Charingfield is 3.82 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
39% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.5% across other homes.
Kind and caring staff is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.0% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.88% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.47% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.98% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Charingfield?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Charingfield answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they feel safe, below the 96.5% average across other homes by 27.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (69% against 96.0%) and whether staff treat them with respect (77% against 95.9%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. Of residents asked whether they feel safe, 54% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time”, 23% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Charingfield were asked whether they get the care they need, 46% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Charingfield provide?
In January to March 2026, Charingfield reported 235 minutes of care per resident per day, 20 minutes above its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Charingfield met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 227 to 237.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 189 minutes, followed by registered nurses (47 minutes). Charingfield also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Charingfield?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 39% of residents surveyed at Charingfield said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 31.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 85% in 2024. Another 46% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Charingfield spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.08 per resident per day, 71% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Charingfield, 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”.
39% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Charingfield spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Charingfield spent $226.76 per resident per day on care and nursing, 14% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $400.84 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 ($53.71), accommodation and maintenance ($50.03), and cleaning and laundry ($25.38) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.68) and registered nurses ($53.97).
