Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Karingal Green is 3.38 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
Staff communication is a relative strength
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
97% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 227 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 45 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 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 do residents say about Karingal Green?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 94% of residents surveyed at Karingal Green answered “always” or “most of the time”, 13.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether the home is well run (97% against 88.1%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 84.2%.
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, 22% answered “always”, 59% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Karingal Green were asked whether they feel safe, 53% answered “always” and 44% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 50% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Karingal Green?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 65% of residents surveyed at Karingal Green said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2025. Another 34% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Karingal Green in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $1.47 per resident per day, 425% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Karingal Green, 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”.
65% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Karingal Green spend on resident care?
Total spending at Karingal Green in the 2024–25 financial year was $539.39 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 47.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $255.13 was 4% below 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($126.77), administration ($73.95), and cleaning and laundry ($30.01) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($150.02) and registered nurses ($56.52).
How much care and nursing does Karingal Green provide?
Karingal Green reported 227 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 226 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 6 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Karingal Green met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 227 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 181 minutes, followed by registered nurses (39 minutes) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes). Karingal Green also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
