Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Flagstaff Hill is 3.38 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 is above average, with lower reported spending
80% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
80% positive in 2025, compared with 64% in 2024: 16 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 234 vs 227 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
53% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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: 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.62% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Flagstaff Hill?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 53% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Flagstaff Hill answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, below the 88.6% average across other homes by 35.6 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (80% against 93.2%) and whether they feel safe (86% against 96.5%).
At Estia Health Flagstaff Hill, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 8 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 how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 13% answered “always”, 40% “most of the time” and 47% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 40% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Flagstaff Hill answered “always” and 47% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Flagstaff Hill provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Flagstaff Hill reported 234 minutes of care per resident per day, 7 minutes above its target of 227 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Estia Health Flagstaff Hill meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 238 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 179 of the 234 minutes (76.5%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 17.1%) and enrolled nurses (15 minutes, 6.4%). Estia Health Flagstaff Hill also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Estia Health Flagstaff Hill?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Flagstaff Hill for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 9.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 64% in 2024. Another 20% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Flagstaff Hill 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 $0.32 per resident per day, 14% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Flagstaff Hill, 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”.
80% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Flagstaff Hill spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Flagstaff Hill spent $401.93 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $251.58 was 5% below 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($51.98), accommodation and maintenance ($38.67), and cleaning and laundry ($26.01) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($143.69) and registered nurses ($47.21).
