Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
One finding is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 239 vs 234 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
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. No survey comparison is made: the survey year in the ratings extract does not match this home’s latest survey. 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.
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 | 2366 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2435 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2396 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2455 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2457 |
What is the food like at Estia Health Bentleigh?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 46% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Bentleigh said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 46 percentage points lower than the 92% recorded in 2024. Another 54% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
46% of surveyed residents
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Bentleigh provide?
Estia Health Bentleigh reported 239 minutes of care per resident per day in July to September 2025, 5 minutes above its target of 234 minutes. Registered nurses provided 41 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Estia Health Bentleigh meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 227 to 247 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 190 of the 239 minutes (79.5%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 17.2%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.3%).
How does Estia Health Bentleigh spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Bentleigh spent $294.02 per resident per day on care and nursing, 11% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $449.84 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
The rest went to administration ($53.70), cleaning and laundry ($38.09), accommodation and maintenance ($32.91), and food and catering ($31.14) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($164.49) and registered nurses ($67.28). Food and catering spending was 27% below its sector median of $42.71.
What do residents say about Estia Health Bentleigh?
The highest share of “always” or “most of the time” answers in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey at Estia Health Bentleigh, 93%, came on 2 of the 10 questions other than food, including whether staff treat them with respect. The lowest share was 77%, when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 46% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time”, 15% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Bentleigh were asked whether they feel safe, 62% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
