Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park is 4.08 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
77% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $11 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
77% positive in 2025, compared with 100% in 2024: 23 percentage points lower.
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.5% 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 | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.06 | 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 18.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 85.2%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.5%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. When residents were asked whether they feel safe, 77% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park were asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How does Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park in the 2024–25 financial year was $212.97 per resident per day, 20% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $385.62 per resident per day. 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 ($39.24), accommodation and maintenance ($38.21), and cleaning and laundry ($32.52) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($128.49) and registered nurses ($42.34).
What is the food like at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 77% of residents surveyed at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 6.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 15% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park in January to March 2026 was $11 per resident per day, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.38 per resident per day, 36% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park 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”.
77% 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 Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park provide?
In January to March 2026, Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 220.
Who provides that care?
Of the 220 minutes, personal care workers provided 173 (78.6%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 21.4%). In the same quarter, Fairlea Aged Care @ Harris Park also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
