Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Knoxfield is 3.9 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
70% positive in 2025, compared with 46% in 2024: 24 percentage points higher.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
76% 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Knoxfield?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Knoxfield for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 81.8% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (76% against 85.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (85% against 89.5%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 31% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time”, 15% “some of the time” and 23% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Knoxfield were asked whether they feel safe, 54% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 46% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Knoxfield?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Knoxfield said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 24 percentage points higher than the 46% recorded in 2024. Another 15% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Knoxfield 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 $0.27 per resident per day, 4% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Knoxfield, 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”.
70% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Knoxfield spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Knoxfield in the 2024–25 financial year was $474.68 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $290.67 was 10% 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 accommodation and maintenance ($69.57), administration ($52.81), and cleaning and laundry ($28.31) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($156.90) and registered nurses ($72.57).
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Knoxfield provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Knoxfield reported 224 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 223 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Estia Health Knoxfield met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 221 to 231 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 176 of the 224 minutes (78.6%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.1%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.3%). Estia Health Knoxfield also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
