Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Hope Aged Care Sunshine is 3.82 out of 5, against 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 67.3% 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.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
61% positive in 2026, compared with 92% in 2025: 31 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: 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Hope Aged Care Sunshine?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 62% of residents surveyed at Hope Aged Care Sunshine answered “always” or “most of the time”, 26.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (69% against 80.3%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (76% against 87.2%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.4%. In all, answers on 3 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 who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 62% answered “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “always” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Hope Aged Care Sunshine were asked whether they feel safe, 38% answered “always” and 54% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Hope Aged Care Sunshine?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Hope Aged Care Sunshine said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 92% in 2025. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Hope Aged Care Sunshine spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.62 per resident per day, 121% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Hope Aged Care Sunshine 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”.
61% 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 Hope Aged Care Sunshine provide?
In January to March 2026, Hope Aged Care Sunshine reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Hope Aged Care Sunshine met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 215 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 168 of the 229 minutes (73.4%), followed by registered nurses (48 minutes, 21.0%) and enrolled nurses (13 minutes, 5.7%). Hope Aged Care Sunshine also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Hope Aged Care Sunshine spend on resident care?
Total spending at Hope Aged Care Sunshine in the 2024–25 financial year was $377.89 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 68.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $257.43 was 3% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($35.82), cleaning and laundry ($29.68) and administration ($15.62) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($138.40) and registered nurses ($62.59).
