Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for IRT Five Islands is 3.78 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 234 minutes against a 221-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 44.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
39% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
39% positive in 2026, compared with 69% in 2025: 30 percentage points lower.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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: 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 | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.27% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What is the food like at IRT Five Islands?
When residents surveyed at IRT Five Islands for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 39% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 28.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 31% “never”.
Food spending at IRT Five Islands in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.21 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
IRT Five Islands reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 50% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
39% 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 IRT Five Islands provide?
In January to March 2026, IRT Five Islands reported 234 minutes of care per resident per day, 13 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
IRT Five Islands met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 225 to 234.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 187 minutes, followed by registered nurses (46 minutes). IRT Five Islands also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about IRT Five Islands?
When residents surveyed at IRT Five Islands for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 70% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.2 percentage points below the average of 84.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (69% against 80.3%) and whether they get the care they need (85% against 94.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%. Altogether, 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 62% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time”, 23% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 69% of residents surveyed at IRT Five Islands answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How does IRT Five Islands spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, IRT Five Islands spent $463.53 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $273.30 was 3% 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 ($68.99), accommodation and maintenance ($40.36), and cleaning and laundry ($29.34) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($172.84) and registered nurses ($72.10).
