Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Camden is 3.45 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.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 229 minutes against a 225-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 45.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
63% positive in 2026, compared with 42% in 2025: 21 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 63% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 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 |
Where is Estia Health Camden?
Estia Health Camden is at 82 Old Hume Highway, Camden. The closest named places on OpenStreetMap are Camden Nursing Home, Old Hume Hwy (60 m), Nepean Reserve (180 m) and Camden Hospital (1.1 km). Every distance here is a straight line from the home’s mapped location, not a road route.
The nearest hospital is Camden Hospital, 1.1 km away. The closest GP or medical centre is Schwarz Family Practice, at 2.9 km. The nearest pharmacy, Camden day+night Pharmacy, is 2.0 km from the home. These distances matter most for residents who keep appointments outside the home, so it is worth asking how transport to them is arranged.
The nearest bus stop, Camden Nursing Home, Old Hume Hwy, is 60 m from the home. The closest train station is Menangle Park, 5.7 km away. For everyday errands, Coles supermarket is 1.7 km away and Camden Village Court is 1.9 km. For visitors and outings, Nepean Reserve is 180 m away, Camden Library is 2.1 km and St John's Church is 1.8 km.
Which facilities are closest?
- Bus stopCamden Nursing Home, Old Hume Hwy60 m
- ParkNepean Reserve180 m
- HospitalCamden Hospital1.1 km
- SupermarketColes1.7 km
- Place of worshipSt John's Church1.8 km
The four closest, on the map
Pins 1 to 4 are the four closest facilities, in the same order as the list.
Sources and Explanation
Each place is the nearest named facility of its kind on OpenStreetMap, measured in a straight line from the home’s mapped location. These are not walking or driving times, and the map may miss newer or unnamed places; check the route before relying on a distance.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, read 25 September 2026.
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Camden provide?
Estia Health Camden reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes above its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Estia Health Camden met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 229 to 230 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 229 minutes, personal care workers provided 182 (79.5%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 19.7%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). In the same quarter, Estia Health Camden also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Estia Health Camden?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Camden said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 42% in 2025. Another 22% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Camden spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.35 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Camden 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”.
63% 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 Estia Health Camden?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 96% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Camden answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 87.1% average across other homes by 8.9 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 95.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 74% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.3%. In all, answers on 4 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 how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 15% answered “always”, 59% “most of the time”, 19% “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Camden were asked whether they feel safe, 74% answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 67% answered “always” and 26% “most of the time”.
How does Estia Health Camden spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Camden in the 2024–25 financial year was $402.12 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $268.38 was 1% above the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($51.57), accommodation and maintenance ($30.93), and cleaning and laundry ($22.86) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($158.58) and registered nurses ($68.88).
