Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care is 4.7 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
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.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
5 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 | 3.07 | 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care provide?
In January to March 2026, Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care reported 240 minutes of care per resident per day, 27 minutes above its target of 213 minutes. Of those minutes, 47 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 231 to 247.
Who provides that care?
Of the 240 minutes, personal care workers provided 190 (79.2%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 19.6%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.2%). Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 81.8% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (95% against 85.2%).
At Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 95% of residents surveyed at Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care answered “always” and 5% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 90% answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 95% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
What is the food like at Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 80% of residents surveyed at Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 9.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share was also 80% in 2024. Another 15% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.34 per resident per day, 21% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care, 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”.
80% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Harbour Quays Residential Aged Care spent $429.04 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 67.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $289.32 was 9% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($36.66), cleaning and laundry ($33.05), and accommodation and maintenance ($21.02) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($176.29) and registered nurses ($50.51).
