Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for IRT Woodlands is 4.22 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
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
54% positive in 2026, compared with 69% in 2025: 15 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.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
54% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.4% 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 | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does IRT Woodlands provide?
IRT Woodlands reported 242 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 15 minutes above its target of 227 minutes. Registered nurses provided 51 of those minutes, 6 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
In three of the last four quarters, IRT Woodlands met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 238 to 245.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 183 of the 242 minutes (75.6%), followed by registered nurses (51 minutes, 21.1%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.3%). In the same quarter, IRT Woodlands also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about IRT Woodlands?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 77% of residents surveyed at IRT Woodlands answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff know what they are doing, below the 89.1% average across other homes by 12.1 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (77% against 88.1%) and whether staff are kind and caring (92% against 95.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.2%. 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?
On a visit, you can ask about the training staff receive. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing, 54% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at IRT Woodlands were asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at IRT Woodlands?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 54% of residents surveyed at IRT Woodlands said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 13.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2025. Another 46% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, IRT Woodlands spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $1.11 per resident per day, 296% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
IRT Woodlands reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 42% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
54% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does IRT Woodlands spend on resident care?
Total spending at IRT Woodlands in the 2024–25 financial year was $464.65 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 57.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $267.81 was 1% 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 ($67.74), accommodation and maintenance ($45.94), and cleaning and laundry ($31.61) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($162.68) and registered nurses ($66.60).
