Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Dubbo Homestead Care Community is 3.38 out of 5, against 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 224 minutes; registered nurses: 47 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Dubbo Homestead Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Dubbo Homestead Care Community reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes below its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 47 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Dubbo Homestead Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 211 to 223 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 167 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (47 minutes) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes). In the same quarter, Dubbo Homestead Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Dubbo Homestead Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Dubbo Homestead Care Community for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Dubbo Homestead Care Community in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Dubbo Homestead 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”.
61% 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 Dubbo Homestead Care Community?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 100% of residents surveyed at Dubbo Homestead Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time”, 7.3 percentage points above the average of 92.7% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (92% against 87.1%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.1%. Altogether, answers on 3 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 46% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 54% of residents surveyed at Dubbo Homestead Care Community answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How does Dubbo Homestead Care Community spend on resident care?
Total spending at Dubbo Homestead Care Community in the 2024–25 financial year was $454.89 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $280.80 was 6% above 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($62.65), administration ($38.44), and cleaning and laundry ($28.60) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($176.32) and registered nurses ($64.22).
