Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Harbourside Lodge is 3.71 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 186 vs 213 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
67% positive in 2025, compared with 92% in 2024: 25 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 81.81% | 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 |
How much care and nursing does Harbourside Lodge provide?
Harbourside Lodge reported 186 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 27 minutes below its target of 213 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In three of the last four quarters, Harbourside Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 186 to 234.
Who provides that care?
Enrolled nurses provided 141 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (42 minutes) and personal care workers (4 minutes). In the same quarter, Harbourside Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Harbourside Lodge?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at Harbourside Lodge said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 3.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 92% in 2024. Another 33% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Harbourside Lodge spent $23 per resident per day on food, 44% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Harbourside Lodge reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Harbourside Lodge, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
67% 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 Harbourside Lodge?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Harbourside Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 85.2% average across other homes by 14.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Harbourside Lodge, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 9 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Harbourside Lodge answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 75% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at Harbourside Lodge, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 92% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Harbourside Lodge spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Harbourside Lodge spent $509.32 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 51.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $260.23 was 2% below the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($88.69), accommodation and maintenance ($68.01), and cleaning and laundry ($23.95) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($135.75) and registered nurses ($78.25).
