Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Eldercare Trowbridge House is 3.67 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
71% positive in 2025, compared with 60% in 2024: 11 percentage points higher.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Following up concerns is below the survey average
58% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
72% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
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 | 95.87% | 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 | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Eldercare Trowbridge House?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 58% of residents surveyed at Eldercare Trowbridge House answered “always” or “most of the time”, 27.2 percentage points below the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (72% against 89.5%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (72% against 88.6%).
At Eldercare Trowbridge House, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 29% answered “always”, 29% “most of the time” and 43% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 79% of residents surveyed at Eldercare Trowbridge House answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 36% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Eldercare Trowbridge House provide?
Eldercare Trowbridge House reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 49 of those minutes, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Eldercare Trowbridge House met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 219 to 226.
Who provides that care?
Of the 225 minutes, personal care workers provided 147 (65.3%), followed by registered nurses (49 minutes, 21.8%) and enrolled nurses (29 minutes, 12.9%). Eldercare Trowbridge House also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Eldercare Trowbridge House?
When residents surveyed at Eldercare Trowbridge House for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 71% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11 percentage points higher than the 60% recorded in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Eldercare Trowbridge House spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.55 per resident per day, 96% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Eldercare Trowbridge House 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”.
71% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Eldercare Trowbridge House spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Eldercare Trowbridge House spent $424.49 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $266.36 was 1% 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 administration ($63.66), accommodation and maintenance ($28.36), and cleaning and laundry ($22.53) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.67) and registered nurses ($63.32).
