Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Mount Clear is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
77% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $13 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.
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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Estia Health Mount Clear?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Clear for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 80% in 2024. Another 23% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Mount Clear spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% 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?
According to Estia Health Mount Clear, 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”.
77% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Mount Clear spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Estia Health Mount Clear in the 2024–25 financial year was $236.33 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $381.76 per resident per day. 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 ($53.31), accommodation and maintenance ($36.34), and cleaning and laundry ($27.84) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($133.91) and registered nurses ($60.50).
What do residents say about Estia Health Mount Clear?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Clear answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, above the 93.2% average across other homes by 6.8 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (96% against 89.5%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%).
On 6 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Estia Health Mount Clear were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 86% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Clear answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Estia Health Mount Clear was 91% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Mount Clear provide?
Estia Health Mount Clear reported 217 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, matching its target of 217 minutes. Of those minutes, 44 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 44.
In one of the last four quarters, Estia Health Mount Clear met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 217 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 217 minutes, personal care workers provided 171 (78.8%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 20.3%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). Estia Health Mount Clear also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
