Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care is 3.15 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
88% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 234 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care provide?
Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care reported 234 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 8 minutes above its target of 226 minutes. Of those minutes, 41 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 221 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 183 of the 234 minutes (78.2%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 17.5%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.3%). Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 76% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 5.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 24% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care spent $21 per resident per day on food, 31% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $1.17 per resident per day, 318% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 97% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
76% 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 Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, below the 85.2% average across other homes by 15.2 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (82% against 94.5%) and whether the home is well run (82% against 89.3%).
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%. In all, answers on 4 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 41% answered “always”, 29% “most of the time”, 18% “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care were asked whether they feel safe, 82% answered “always” and 12% “most of the time”.
How does Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care spend on resident care?
Total spending at Clarence Estate Residential Health and Aged Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $467.94 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 53.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $251.30 was 5% below the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($86.64), administration ($47.41), and cleaning and laundry ($36.51) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($144.34) and registered nurses ($57.05).
