Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Leighton Nursing Home is 3.16 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
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Kind and caring staff is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 95.4% across other homes.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
93% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 229 vs 230 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 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 | 3.19 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 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 | 92.71% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Leighton Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Leighton Nursing Home for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share rose from 61% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Leighton Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $22 per resident per day, 38% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $1.03 per resident per day, 268% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Leighton Nursing Home reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 24% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
69% 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 Leighton Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at Leighton Nursing Home for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 76% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.2 percentage points below the average of 87.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (85% against 92.7%) and whether they feel safe (92% against 96.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 38% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 54% of residents surveyed at Leighton Nursing Home answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Leighton Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Leighton Nursing Home reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute below its target of 230 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 46.
In none of the last four quarters did Leighton Nursing Home meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 226 to 234.
Who provides that care?
Of the 229 minutes, personal care workers provided 183 (79.9%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 17.0%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.1%). Leighton Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
How does Leighton Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Leighton Nursing Home spent $406.15 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $256.88 was 3% 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 administration ($47.76), accommodation and maintenance ($40.31), and cleaning and laundry ($22.58) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($155.74) and registered nurses ($57.43).
