Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo is 3.41 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 improved in the latest survey
87% positive in 2026, compared with 75% in 2025: 12 percentage points higher.
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
87% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 222 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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: 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 | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (94% against 84.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 7 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 67% of residents surveyed at Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 80% answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
What is the food like at Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 87% of residents surveyed at Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 19.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 75% in 2025. Another 13% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo 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”.
87% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo spent $233.86 per resident per day on care and nursing, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $403.28 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 administration ($70.73), accommodation and maintenance ($30.79), and cleaning and laundry ($22.50) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($143.66) and registered nurses ($61.01).
How much care and nursing does Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo provide?
Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 209 to 228.
Who provides that care?
Of the 222 minutes, personal care workers provided 182 (82.0%), followed by registered nurses (40 minutes, 18.0%). In the same quarter, Kintyre Lodge - Dubbo also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
