Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Coffs Haven Residential Care Service is 3.86 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
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 212 minutes; registered nurses: 38 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
50% positive in 2025, compared with 80% in 2024: 30 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service?
When residents surveyed at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2024. Another 50% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.79 per resident per day, 182% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Coffs Haven Residential Care Service 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”.
50% 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 Haven Residential Care Service?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 94% of residents surveyed at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 8.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (89% against 81.8%) and whether they feel safe (100% against 96.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 78% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
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. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 39% answered “always”, 39% “most of the time” and 22% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service were asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 44% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Coffs Haven Residential Care Service provide?
In January to March 2026, Coffs Haven Residential Care Service reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes above its target of 212 minutes. Of those minutes, 38 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did Coffs Haven Residential Care Service meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 219 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 218 minutes, personal care workers provided 180 (82.6%), followed by registered nurses (38 minutes, 17.4%). In the same quarter, Coffs Haven Residential Care Service also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Coffs Haven Residential Care Service spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Coffs Haven Residential Care Service spent $459.68 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $279.94 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 administration ($62.26), accommodation and maintenance ($33.83), and cleaning and laundry ($32.91) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($168.56) and registered nurses ($53.68).
