Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Hervey Bay 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
64% positive in 2026, compared with 27% in 2025: 37 percentage points higher.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
97% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 64% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 221 vs 214 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Hervey Bay provide?
Estia Health Hervey Bay reported 221 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Estia Health Hervey Bay meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 212 to 221 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 221 minutes, personal care workers provided 169 (76.5%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 18.1%) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes, 5.4%). Estia Health Hervey Bay 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 Hervey Bay?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Hervey Bay for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 3.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 27% in 2025. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Hervey Bay spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.44 per resident per day, 57% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Hervey Bay, 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”.
64% 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 Hervey Bay?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 97% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Hervey Bay answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, above the 92.7% average across other homes by 4.3 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they feel safe (100% against 96.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 78% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 39% answered “always”, 39% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 75% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Hervey Bay answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
How does Estia Health Hervey Bay spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Hervey Bay in the 2024–25 financial year was $445.01 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $274.18 was 4% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($62.74), accommodation and maintenance ($42.04), and cleaning and laundry ($31.95) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($149.75) and registered nurses ($74.50).
