Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Juniper St David's is 3.6 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 196 minutes against a 194-minute daily care target; RN time is 42 against 40.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
77% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
77% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% 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 | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 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 Juniper St David's?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Juniper St David's said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 5.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 54% in 2025. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Juniper St David's in January to March 2026 was $22 per resident per day, 38% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Juniper St David's reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Juniper St David's, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
62% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Juniper St David's spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Juniper St David's in the 2024–25 financial year was $217.98 per resident per day, 18% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $371.73 per resident per day. 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 ($48.63), accommodation and maintenance ($30.56), and cleaning and laundry ($23.80) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($129.11) and registered nurses ($61.81).
What do residents say about Juniper St David's?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Juniper St David's answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 12.9 percentage points above the average of 87.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%. In all, answers on 3 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?
On a visit, you can ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 31% answered “always”, 46% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Juniper St David's were asked whether they feel safe, 69% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Juniper St David's provide?
In January to March 2026, Juniper St David's reported 196 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes above its target of 194 minutes. Of those minutes, 42 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 40.
Juniper St David's met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 189 to 196 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 154 of the 196 minutes (78.6%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 21.4%). Juniper St David's also reported spending on podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
