Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Werribee 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
85% enjoy meals vs 67.3% 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
85% positive in 2026, compared with 64% in 2025: 21 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 232 vs 227 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
64% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 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: 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 | 3.07 | 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 | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Estia Health Werribee?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 100% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Werribee answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 89.1% average across other homes by 10.9 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 64% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 14% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 36% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Werribee were asked whether they feel safe, 86% answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Estia Health Werribee?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Werribee for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 64% in 2025. Another 14% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Werribee 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 $0.39 per resident per day, 39% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Estia Health Werribee 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”.
85% 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 Werribee provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Werribee reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day, 5 minutes above its target of 227 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In one of the last four quarters, Estia Health Werribee met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 228 to 236 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 232 minutes, personal care workers provided 180 (77.6%), followed by registered nurses (44 minutes, 19.0%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.4%). In the same quarter, Estia Health Werribee also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Estia Health Werribee spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Estia Health Werribee spent $454.76 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $286.09 was 8% 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($56.97), administration ($52.50), and cleaning and laundry ($25.79) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($162.31) and registered nurses ($63.61).
