Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc is 3.71 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% 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.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
69% positive in 2025, compared with 86% in 2024: 17 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 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 Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc provide?
Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes below its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 218 to 230 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 150 of the 218 minutes (68.8%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (26 minutes, 11.9%). In the same quarter, Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, above the 88.6% average across other homes by 11.4 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 85.2%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 62% answered “always”, 15% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc were asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17 percentage points lower than the 86% recorded in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.64 per resident per day, 129% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc, 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc spent $455.24 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $282.25 was 7% 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 ($46.87), cleaning and laundry ($31.10), and accommodation and maintenance ($30.60) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($143.38) and registered nurses ($54.14).
