Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility is 3.53 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 101% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
63% positive in 2026, compared with 44% in 2025: 19 percentage points higher.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 210 vs 208 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 43 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.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 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 | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 63% of residents surveyed at Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 44% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility spent $26 per resident per day on food, 63% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.07 per resident per day, 75% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. All meals are prepared off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
63% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility spent $397.81 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $242.79 was 8% below 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?
Other categories included administration ($69.52), accommodation and maintenance ($31.73), and cleaning and laundry ($19.11) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($141.99) and registered nurses ($60.34).
What do residents say about Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 100% of residents surveyed at Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 92.7% average across other homes by 7.3 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (87% against 80.3%) and whether they get the care they need (101% against 94.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 50% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility were asked whether they feel safe, 94% answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility provide?
In January to March 2026, Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility reported 210 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 208 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In two of the last four quarters, Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 227.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 168 of the 210 minutes (80.0%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 20.0%). Joseph Banks Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
