Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community is 3.01 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Following up concerns is above the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
71% positive in 2025, compared with 94% in 2024: 23 percentage points lower.
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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| 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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community provide?
Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 15 minutes below its target of 222 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 206 to 228 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 157 of the 207 minutes (75.8%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.8%). In the same quarter, Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 71% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 23 percentage points lower than the 94% recorded in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.46 per resident per day, 64% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community, 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”.
71% 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 Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 92% of residents surveyed at Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 6.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (96% against 89.3%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.0%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff get to know each resident. Of residents asked whether staff are kind and caring, 75% answered “always”, 17% “most of the time” and 8% “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 Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community answered “always” and 13% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 54% answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”.
How does Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community spend on resident care?
Total spending at Coffs Harbour Grange Care Community in the 2024–25 financial year was $453.90 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $279.87 was 6% above 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($68.17), cleaning and laundry ($28.33) and administration ($27.95) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($166.69) and registered nurses ($61.77).
