Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Katoomba Views Care Community 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 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
72% positive in 2025, compared with 58% in 2024: 14 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: 203 vs 216 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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: 2025 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 2025 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.84% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Katoomba Views Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Katoomba Views Care Community reported 203 minutes of care per resident per day, 13 minutes below its target of 216 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Katoomba Views Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 203 to 213 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 157 of the 203 minutes (77.3%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 19.2%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.4%). In the same quarter, Katoomba Views Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Katoomba Views Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Katoomba Views Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, below the 81.8% average across other homes by 31.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (86% against 93.2%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (79% against 85.2%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. Altogether, answers on 4 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 how staff explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 14% answered “always”, 36% “most of the time”, 43% “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 86% of residents surveyed at Katoomba Views Care Community answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 43% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Katoomba Views Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at Katoomba Views Care Community said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 14 percentage points higher than the 58% recorded in 2024. Another 29% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Katoomba Views Care Community in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.13 per resident per day, 54% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Katoomba Views Care Community reports that 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”.
72% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Katoomba Views Care Community spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Katoomba Views Care Community spent $441.06 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $268.89 was 2% 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?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($66.08), administration ($33.55), and cleaning and laundry ($31.98) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($157.48) and registered nurses ($59.60).
