Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Craigcare Plumpton Villa is 3.23 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 40% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 223 minutes; registered nurses: 39 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.
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 | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Craigcare Plumpton Villa?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 40% of residents surveyed at Craigcare Plumpton Villa said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 30.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share was also 40% in 2024. Another 45% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Food spending at Craigcare Plumpton Villa in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.35 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Craigcare Plumpton Villa 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”.
40% 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 Plumpton Villa?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 75% of residents surveyed at Craigcare Plumpton Villa answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.5% average across other homes by 14.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (75% against 85.2%) and whether they get the care they need (85% against 94.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Craigcare Plumpton Villa, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 7 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about the training staff receive. Of residents asked whether staff know what they are doing, 15% answered “always”, 60% “most of the time” and 25% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 50% of residents surveyed at Craigcare Plumpton Villa answered “always” and 45% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Craigcare Plumpton Villa provide?
In January to March 2026, Craigcare Plumpton Villa reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 223 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In two of the last four quarters, Craigcare Plumpton Villa met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 211 to 238.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 174 of the 223 minutes (78.0%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 17.5%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.5%). Craigcare Plumpton Villa also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Craigcare Plumpton Villa spend on resident care?
Total spending at Craigcare Plumpton Villa in the 2024–25 financial year was $448.19 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $268.29 was 1% 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 ($71.51), administration ($42.46), and cleaning and laundry ($28.87) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($155.22) and registered nurses ($59.91).
