Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Kensington Grange is 3.86 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
100% enjoy meals vs 70.2% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
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 214 minutes; registered nurses: 51 vs 44 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.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
78% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% 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: 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Kensington Grange?
When residents surveyed at Kensington Grange for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 29.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share was also 100% in 2024.
In January to March 2026, Kensington Grange spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.40 per resident per day, 43% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Kensington Grange, 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”.
100% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Kensington Grange?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 100% of residents surveyed at Kensington Grange answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 89.3% average across other homes by 10.7 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (94% against 85.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 78% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 17% answered “always”, 61% “most of the time” and 22% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 94% of residents surveyed at Kensington Grange answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 89% answered “always” and 11% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Kensington Grange provide?
In January to March 2026, Kensington Grange reported 210 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes below its target of 214 minutes. Of those minutes, 51 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Kensington Grange meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 198 to 214.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 141 minutes, followed by registered nurses (51 minutes) and enrolled nurses (17 minutes). Kensington Grange also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Kensington Grange spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Kensington Grange in the 2024–25 financial year was $232.86 per resident per day, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $400.40 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($64.70), administration ($47.53), and cleaning and laundry ($24.73) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($119.88) and registered nurses ($49.95).
