Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility is 3.67 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 60% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
60% positive in 2025, compared with 80% in 2024: 20 percentage points lower.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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 | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility provide?
Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility reported 221 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Of those minutes, 51 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 212 to 223 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 221 minutes, personal care workers provided 154 (69.7%), followed by registered nurses (51 minutes, 23.1%) and enrolled nurses (16 minutes, 7.2%). Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility spent $230.49 per resident per day on care and nursing, 13% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $405.58 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included administration ($70.32), accommodation and maintenance ($48.21), and cleaning and laundry ($21.77) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($138.46) and registered nurses ($60.75).
What is the food like at Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 60% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2024. Another 35% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility 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 $0.29 per resident per day, 4% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility, 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”.
60% 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 Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 89.5% average across other homes by 10.5 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (90% against 81.8%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 88.6%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 45% answered “always”, 35% “most of the time” and 20% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 80% of residents surveyed at Doutta Galla Avondale Heights Aged Care Facility answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 55% answered “always” and 45% “most of the time”.
