Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre is 3.67 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
30% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
30% positive in 2026, compared with 50% in 2025: 20 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 | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.37% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.43% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.72% | 1080 |
What do residents say about IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 65% of residents surveyed at IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 84.2% average across other homes by 19.2 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (70% against 88.1%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (75% against 92.7%).
At IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 7 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 55% answered “always”, 10% “most of the time”, 25% “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 85% of residents surveyed at IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 80% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 30% of residents surveyed at IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 37.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 50% in 2025. Another 45% answered “some of the time” and 25% “never”.
Food spending at IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.30 per resident per day, 7% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 49% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
30% 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 Tarrawanna Care Centre provide?
IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre reported 243 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 18 minutes above its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 239 to 246.
Who provides that care?
Of the 243 minutes, personal care workers provided 193 (79.4%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 18.5%) and enrolled nurses (5 minutes, 2.1%). IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, IRT Tarrawanna Care Centre spent $453.22 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.8% of it. Care and nursing spending of $280.11 was 6% above 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 administration ($63.91), accommodation and maintenance ($39.83), and cleaning and laundry ($22.54) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($173.79) and registered nurses ($60.91).
