Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Plenty Valley is 4.23 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
79% enjoy meals vs 67.3% 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 225 vs 225 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 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 | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Plenty Valley?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Plenty Valley answered “always” or “most of the time”, 15.8 percentage points above the average of 84.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether staff explain things to them (93% against 80.2%).
At Estia Health Plenty Valley, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 9 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Plenty Valley were asked whether they feel safe, 57% answered “always” and 43% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 57% answered “always” and 36% “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 Plenty Valley was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Estia Health Plenty Valley?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Plenty Valley for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 77% in 2025. Another 21% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Plenty Valley 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 $0.21 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Plenty Valley, 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”.
79% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Plenty Valley spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Plenty Valley in the 2024–25 financial year was $416.61 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $271.27 was 2% above the sector median of $264.85. These figures 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 ($47.95), accommodation and maintenance ($34.04), and cleaning and laundry ($30.39) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($154.19) and registered nurses ($64.24).
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Plenty Valley provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Plenty Valley reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 225 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Estia Health Plenty Valley met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 220 to 225.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 179 of the 225 minutes (79.6%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.7%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.8%). In the same quarter, Estia Health Plenty Valley also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
