Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for HammondCare - Woy Woy is 3.93 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
How well the home is run is below the survey average
81% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
82% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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 | 3.07 | 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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at HammondCare - Woy Woy?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 94% of residents surveyed at HammondCare - Woy Woy said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 23.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 93% in 2024. Another 6% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at HammondCare - Woy Woy in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.55 per resident per day, 96% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to HammondCare - Woy Woy, 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”.
94% 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 HammondCare - Woy Woy?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 94% of residents surveyed at HammondCare - Woy Woy answered “always” or “most of the time”, 12.2 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 they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
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. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 56% answered “always”, 25% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 81% of residents surveyed at HammondCare - Woy Woy answered “always” and 13% “most of the time”.
How does HammondCare - Woy Woy spend on resident care?
Total spending at HammondCare - Woy Woy in the 2024–25 financial year was $409.45 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $248.72 was 6% below 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($57.46), accommodation and maintenance ($44.14), and cleaning and laundry ($23.19) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($159.06) and registered nurses ($59.08).
How much care and nursing does HammondCare - Woy Woy provide?
HammondCare - Woy Woy reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In two of the last four quarters, HammondCare - Woy Woy met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 202 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 176 of the 222 minutes (79.3%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.7%). HammondCare - Woy Woy also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
