Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Hillside at Figtree is 3.82 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
51% positive in 2026, compared with 30% in 2025: 21 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.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$11 a day vs a $16 sector median; 51% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.44% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.11% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Hillside at Figtree?
When residents surveyed at Hillside at Figtree for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 62% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 26.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (69% against 89.1%) and whether they get the care they need (82% against 94.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
On 6 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Hillside at Figtree were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 56% answered “always”, 6% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 75% of residents surveyed at Hillside at Figtree answered “always” and 13% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Hillside at Figtree?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 51% of residents surveyed at Hillside at Figtree said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 16.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share rose from 30% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 19% “never”.
Food spending at Hillside at Figtree in January to March 2026 was $11 per resident per day, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.14 per resident per day, 50% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Hillside at Figtree 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”.
51% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Hillside at Figtree spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Hillside at Figtree spent $227.17 per resident per day on care and nursing, 14% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $361.67 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 administration ($49.33), cleaning and laundry ($31.61), and accommodation and maintenance ($13.10) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($131.17) and registered nurses ($49.24).
How much care and nursing does Hillside at Figtree provide?
Hillside at Figtree reported 194 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 193 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 40.
Hillside at Figtree 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 185 to 194.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 150 of the 194 minutes (77.3%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 20.6%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 2.1%). In the same quarter, Hillside at Figtree also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
