Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility is 3.71 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 228 vs 224 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
80% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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 | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 68% answered “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share fell from 74% in 2025. Another 26% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Food spending at Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility 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”.
68% 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 Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility provide?
In January to March 2026, Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility reported 228 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 235 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 228 minutes, personal care workers provided 185 (81.1%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 17.1%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.8%). Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility spent $435.31 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $287.65 was 9% 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?
Other categories included administration ($54.03), accommodation and maintenance ($37.90), and cleaning and laundry ($22.94) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($173.60) and registered nurses ($57.90).
What do residents say about Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.1 percentage points below the average of 88.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (74% against 80.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.2%.
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, 48% answered “always”, 32% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 61% of residents surveyed at Huntingdon Gardens Aged Care Facility answered “always” and 32% “most of the time”.
