Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Healthia is 3.52 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 57% in 2024: 12 percentage points higher.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Getting needed care is below the survey average
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Support for independence is below the survey average
63% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.50% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Healthia?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Healthia answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they get the care they need, 31.5 percentage points below the average of 94.5% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (63% against 88.6%) and whether staff know what they are doing (69% against 89.5%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.4%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need, 13% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Healthia was 88% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does Healthia spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Healthia in the 2024–25 financial year was $305.25 per resident per day, 15% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $505.91 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 accommodation and maintenance ($70.36), administration ($69.90), and cleaning and laundry ($29.99) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($199.77) and registered nurses ($40.83).
What is the food like at Healthia?
When residents surveyed at Healthia for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 12 percentage points higher than the 57% recorded in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Healthia spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Healthia, breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 43% are prepared on site and the rest off 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.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Healthia provide?
In January to March 2026, Healthia reported 211 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 210 minutes. Of those minutes, 47 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In three of the last four quarters, Healthia met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 211 to 238.
Who provides that care?
Of the 211 minutes, personal care workers provided 158 (74.9%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 22.3%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 2.8%). Healthia also reported spending on physiotherapists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
