Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley is 3.38 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 62% in 2024: 10 percentage points higher.
Residents show greater confidence in staff skills
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 214 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
67% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 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 | 93.21% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley provide?
In January to March 2026, Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley reported 214 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes below its target of 222 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 214 to 234 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 141 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes) and enrolled nurses (29 minutes). In the same quarter, Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley?
When residents surveyed at Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 93.2% average across other homes by 26.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (72% against 85.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (77% against 88.6%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.5%. In all, answers on 5 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 residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 50% answered “always”, 17% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 17% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley were asked whether they feel safe, 94% answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 39% answered “always” and 61% “most of the time”.
How does Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley spend on resident care?
Total spending at Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley in the 2024–25 financial year was $441.22 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $288.40 was 9% above 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?
Spending on other categories included cleaning and laundry ($38.07), administration ($29.04), and accommodation and maintenance ($26.20) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($149.98) and registered nurses ($56.30).
What is the food like at Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 10 percentage points higher than the 62% recorded in 2024. Another 22% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.97 per resident per day, 246% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Lutheran Homes Group Hope Valley, 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.
