Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Salisbury is 3.16 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
71% positive in 2025, compared with 57% in 2024: 14 percentage points higher.
Residents report stronger support for independence
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 230 vs 231 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
64% 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 | 3.19 | 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 | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Salisbury?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 64% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Salisbury answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 85.2% average across other homes by 21.2 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (71% against 89.5%) and whether staff are kind and caring (79% against 96.0%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 3 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 21% answered “always”, 43% “most of the time”, 29% “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 64% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Salisbury answered “always” and 29% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 57% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Salisbury?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Salisbury for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 71% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14 percentage points higher than the 57% recorded in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Salisbury 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 $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Salisbury 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”.
71% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Salisbury provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Salisbury reported 230 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute below its target of 231 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
Estia Health Salisbury met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes). Estia Health Salisbury also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Estia Health Salisbury spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Salisbury spent $392.77 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $257.56 was 3% below 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 administration ($51.56), accommodation and maintenance ($36.14), and cleaning and laundry ($17.78) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($144.95) and registered nurses ($53.79).
