Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Holmwood Aged Care is 3.23 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
Respectful treatment is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.9% across other homes.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 190 vs 212 minutes; registered nurses: 45 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
47% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
47% positive in 2025, compared with 60% in 2024: 13 percentage points lower.
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 | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Holmwood Aged Care provide?
Holmwood Aged Care reported 190 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 22 minutes below its target of 212 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
Holmwood Aged Care met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 177 to 190.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 138 of the 190 minutes (72.6%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 23.7%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.7%). Holmwood Aged Care also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Holmwood Aged Care?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 71% of residents surveyed at Holmwood Aged Care answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, below the 89.5% average across other homes by 18.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (76% against 93.2%) and whether staff explain things to them (65% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 95.9%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 24% answered “always”, 47% “most of the time” and 29% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 76% of residents surveyed at Holmwood Aged Care answered “always” and 24% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 47% answered “always” and 35% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Holmwood Aged Care?
When residents surveyed at Holmwood Aged Care for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 47% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 23.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 60% in 2024. Another 47% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Holmwood Aged Care spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.21 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Holmwood Aged Care, 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”.
47% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Holmwood Aged Care spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Holmwood Aged Care spent $223.45 per resident per day on care and nursing, 16% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $413.77 per resident per day. These amounts 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 ($59.12), administration ($55.30), and cleaning and laundry ($27.45) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($115.19) and registered nurses ($56.90).
