Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Daw Park is 3.6 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
75% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 230 vs 230 minutes; registered nurses: 45 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Getting needed care is below the survey average
75% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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 | 94.49% | 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 Estia Health Daw Park?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Daw Park for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.5 percentage points below the average of 94.5% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (69% against 85.2%) and whether staff are kind and caring (81% against 96.0%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Estia Health Daw Park were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need, 44% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time”, 19% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 56% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Daw Park answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Daw Park?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 75% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Daw Park said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 78% in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Daw Park in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.33 per resident per day, 18% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Daw Park 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”.
75% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Daw Park spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Daw Park spent $394.27 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $254.20 was 4% 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 ($51.33), accommodation and maintenance ($34.51), and cleaning and laundry ($21.52) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($145.54) and registered nurses ($56.11).
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Daw Park provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Daw Park reported 230 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 230 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Estia Health Daw Park meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 239 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 178 of the 230 minutes (77.4%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 19.6%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.0%). Estia Health Daw Park also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
