Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home is 4.07 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 279 minutes against a 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 129 against 44.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
78% positive in 2025, compared with 60% in 2024: 18 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
78% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
78% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home provide?
Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home reported 279 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 55 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 129 came from registered nurses, 85 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 259 to 279 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Enrolled nurses provided 141 of the 279 minutes (50.5%), followed by registered nurses (129 minutes, 46.2%) and personal care workers (9 minutes, 3.2%). In the same quarter, Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home also reported spending on physiotherapists.
How does Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home spent $426.61 per resident per day on care and nursing, 61% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $630.80 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($88.95), cleaning and laundry ($49.78) and administration ($46.79) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($199.52) and registered nurses ($126.34).
What is the food like at Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home?
When residents surveyed at Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 78% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 7.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2024. Another 17% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home in January to March 2026 was $21 per resident per day, 31% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 26% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
78% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 78% of residents surveyed at Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.5 percentage points below the average of 89.5% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (78% against 89.3%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (78% against 88.6%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 89% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. Of residents asked whether staff know what they are doing, 56% answered “always”, 22% “most of the time” and 22% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 83% of residents surveyed at Chestnut Gardens Aged Care Home answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 78% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
