Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for IRT Kangara Waters is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is 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.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
90% positive in 2025, compared with 80% in 2024: 10 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
90% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 227 vs 219 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at IRT Kangara Waters?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 90% of residents surveyed at IRT Kangara Waters said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 80% in 2024. Another 5% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, IRT Kangara Waters spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.16 per resident per day, 43% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to IRT Kangara Waters, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 54% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
90% 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 Kangara Waters provide?
In January to March 2026, IRT Kangara Waters reported 227 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes above its target of 219 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 IRT Kangara Waters meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 202 to 227.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 172 of the 227 minutes (75.8%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 18.5%) and enrolled nurses (13 minutes, 5.7%). In the same quarter, IRT Kangara Waters also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about IRT Kangara Waters?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 100% of residents surveyed at IRT Kangara Waters answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.5 percentage points above the average of 89.5% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 88.6%) and whether the home is well run (95% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
On 6 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at IRT Kangara Waters were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at IRT Kangara Waters answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 60% answered “always” and 35% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
On choice and independence at IRT Kangara Waters, the share answering “always” or “most of the time” was 95% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How does IRT Kangara Waters spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, IRT Kangara Waters spent $236.32 per resident per day on care and nursing, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $416.44 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 administration ($63.11), accommodation and maintenance ($39.79), and cleaning and laundry ($26.94) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($132.60) and registered nurses ($63.33).
