Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Fullarton Residential Care is 3.68 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 238 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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: 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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.84% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Fullarton Residential Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Fullarton Residential Care reported 238 minutes of care per resident per day, 12 minutes above its target of 226 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In one of the last four quarters, Fullarton Residential Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 235 to 251.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 158 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes) and enrolled nurses (36 minutes). Fullarton Residential Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Fullarton Residential Care spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Fullarton Residential Care in the 2024–25 financial year was $300.81 per resident per day, 14% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $441.99 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?
Other categories included cleaning and laundry ($37.39), administration ($23.71), and accommodation and maintenance ($21.13) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($153.14) and registered nurses ($62.53).
What do residents say about Fullarton Residential Care?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 79% of residents surveyed at Fullarton Residential Care answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 10.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (76% against 85.2%) and whether they get the care they need (86% against 94.5%).
At Fullarton Residential Care, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 6 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 24% answered “always”, 55% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 3% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 76% of residents surveyed at Fullarton Residential Care answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Fullarton Residential Care?
When residents surveyed at Fullarton Residential Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 70.3% average across other homes. The share was also 69% in 2024. Another 28% answered “some of the time” and 3% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Fullarton Residential Care spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.62 per resident per day, 121% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Fullarton Residential Care 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.
