Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Heathcote Health High Care Service is 4.85 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
100% enjoy meals vs 67.3% across other homes; spending is $14 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 286 minutes against a 219-minute daily care target; RN time is 74 against 44.
Worth a closer look
Following up concerns is below the survey average
80% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.31% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Heathcote Health High Care Service provide?
In January to March 2026, Heathcote Health High Care Service reported 286 minutes of care per resident per day, 67 minutes above its target of 219 minutes. Registered nurses provided 74 of those minutes, 30 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, Heathcote Health High Care Service met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 239 to 312 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Enrolled nurses provided 128 minutes per resident per day, followed by personal care workers (83 minutes) and registered nurses (74 minutes). In the same quarter, Heathcote Health High Care Service also reported spending on physiotherapists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Heathcote Health High Care Service?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Heathcote Health High Care Service answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, above the 80.2% average across other homes by 19.8 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether the home is well run (100% against 88.1%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 84.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 60% answered “always”, 20% “most of the time” and 20% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Heathcote Health High Care Service were asked whether they feel safe, 100% answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 100% answered “always”.
What is the food like at Heathcote Health High Care Service?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Heathcote Health High Care Service said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 32.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 50% in 2025.
Food spending at Heathcote Health High Care Service in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $1.43 per resident per day, 411% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Heathcote Health High Care Service 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”.
100% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Heathcote Health High Care Service spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Heathcote Health High Care Service in the 2024–25 financial year was $376 per resident per day, 42% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $617.14 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 ($87.81), administration ($86.53), and cleaning and laundry ($21.44) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($131.97) and personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($106.42).
