Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Taree is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 224 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
61% positive in 2025, compared with 87% in 2024: 26 percentage points lower.
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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Estia Health Taree?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Taree said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 9.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 87% in 2024. Another 22% answered “some of the time” and 17% “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Taree in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.42 per resident per day, 50% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Taree, 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”.
61% 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 Taree?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 87% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Taree answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff are kind and caring, below the 96.0% average across other homes by 9 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (82% against 88.6%) and whether the home is well run (83% against 89.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.4%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff get to know each resident. Of residents asked whether staff are kind and caring, 65% answered “always”, 22% “most of the time” and 13% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Taree were asked whether they get the care they need, 78% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Taree provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Taree reported 224 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 222 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Estia Health Taree meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 209 to 224 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 173 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes). Estia Health Taree also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Estia Health Taree spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Taree in the 2024–25 financial year was $407.86 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.8% of it. Care and nursing spending of $256.12 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($53.75), accommodation and maintenance ($32.54), and cleaning and laundry ($26.07) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($147.35) and registered nurses ($55.04).
