Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Valley View is 3.6 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
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 232 vs 231 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 86% in 2024: 17 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 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 | 93.21% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Valley View?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 69% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Valley View answered “always” or “most of the time”, 24.2 percentage points below the average of 93.2% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (63% against 81.8%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (75% against 88.6%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.5%. In all, 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?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 56% answered “always”, 13% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 69% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Valley View answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Valley View?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Valley View said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17 percentage points lower than the 86% recorded in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Valley View spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.33 per resident per day, 18% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Valley View 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Estia Health Valley View spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Valley View in the 2024–25 financial year was $382.48 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $241.66 was 9% 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 ($50.22), accommodation and maintenance ($36.18), and cleaning and laundry ($20.83) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($140.95) and registered nurses ($56.08).
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Valley View provide?
Estia Health Valley View reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 231 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
Estia Health Valley View met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 226 to 232 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 183 of the 232 minutes (78.9%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.1%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.0%). Estia Health Valley View also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
