Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Burton is 3.45 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
$13 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: 233 vs 229 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
65% 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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.50% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Burton?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 65% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Burton answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.5% average across other homes by 24.5 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (70% against 89.3%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (75% against 93.2%).
At Estia Health Burton, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 9 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, 30% answered “always”, 35% “most of the time” and 35% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Burton were asked whether they feel safe, 65% answered “always” and 30% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 55% answered “always” and 35% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Burton?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 40% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Burton 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 fell from 46% in 2024. Another 40% answered “some of the time” and 20% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Burton spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.26 per resident per day, 7% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Burton 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
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Burton provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Burton reported 233 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 229 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
Estia Health Burton met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 231 to 243 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 233 minutes, personal care workers provided 176 (75.5%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.0%) and enrolled nurses (15 minutes, 6.4%). In the same quarter, Estia Health Burton also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Estia Health Burton spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Burton spent $424.67 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $261.51 was 1% below 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 ($52.18), accommodation and maintenance ($47.43), and cleaning and laundry ($25.93) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($140.91) and registered nurses ($61.33).
