Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Craigcare Pascoe Vale is 3.38 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
73% positive in 2025, compared with 34% in 2024: 39 percentage points higher.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
95% 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: 221 vs 225 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 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 Craigcare Pascoe Vale provide?
In January to March 2026, Craigcare Pascoe Vale reported 221 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes below its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Craigcare Pascoe Vale meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 221 to 225 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 172 of the 221 minutes (77.8%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.0%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.2%). In the same quarter, Craigcare Pascoe Vale also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Craigcare Pascoe Vale?
When residents surveyed at Craigcare Pascoe Vale for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 73% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 39 percentage points higher than the 34% recorded in 2024. Another 27% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Craigcare Pascoe Vale spent $11 per resident per day on food, 31% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.29 per resident per day, 4% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Craigcare Pascoe Vale 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”.
73% 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 Craigcare Pascoe Vale?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Craigcare Pascoe Vale answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, above the 89.5% average across other homes by 10.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (95% against 85.2%) and whether the home is well run (96% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Craigcare Pascoe Vale, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 6 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Craigcare Pascoe Vale were asked whether they feel safe, 77% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 59% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Craigcare Pascoe Vale, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 96% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 86% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Craigcare Pascoe Vale spend on resident care?
Total spending at Craigcare Pascoe Vale in the 2024–25 financial year was $393.66 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $254.65 was 4% 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 ($55.01), administration ($27.98), and cleaning and laundry ($22.94) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($151) and registered nurses ($57.53).
