Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Healesville is 3.48 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
80% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Support for independence is below the survey average
73% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Healesville provide?
Estia Health Healesville reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 165 minutes, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (18 minutes). In the same quarter, Estia Health Healesville also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Estia Health Healesville?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Healesville for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.7 percentage points above the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 73% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 73% answered “always”, 20% “some of the time” and 7% “never”; none answered “most of the time”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 93% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Healesville answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Healesville?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Healesville 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. Another 20% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Healesville in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.34 per resident per day, 21% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Healesville 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”.
80% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
