Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Loxton District Nursing Home is 3.3 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
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 222 vs 218 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 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.
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: 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 | 3.07 | 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 | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.80% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How does Loxton District Nursing Home spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Loxton District Nursing Home in the 2024–25 financial year was $317.94 per resident per day, 20% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $475.04 per resident per day. 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 ($67.48), cleaning and laundry ($26.89), and accommodation and maintenance ($11.23) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($168.38) and registered nurses ($89.75).
What do residents say about Loxton District Nursing Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Loxton District Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, above the 81.8% average across other homes by 18.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 84% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below 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”, 46% “most of the time” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 54% of residents surveyed at Loxton District Nursing Home answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 54% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Loxton District Nursing Home provide?
In January to March 2026, Loxton District Nursing Home reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 218 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Loxton District Nursing Home meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 222 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 167 minutes, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes) and enrolled nurses (11 minutes). Loxton District Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Loxton District Nursing Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 69% of residents surveyed at Loxton District Nursing Home said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 70.3% average across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Loxton District Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.03 per resident per day, 89% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Loxton District Nursing Home, 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”.
69% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
