Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Marco Polo Aged Care Facility is 3.89 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 264 minutes against a 223-minute daily care target; RN time is 51 against 45.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
101% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 50% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
50% positive in 2026, compared with 63% in 2025: 13 percentage points lower.
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 | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.27% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Marco Polo Aged Care Facility provide?
In January to March 2026, Marco Polo Aged Care Facility reported 264 minutes of care per resident per day, 41 minutes above its target of 223 minutes. Of those minutes, 51 came from registered nurses, 6 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Marco Polo Aged Care Facility met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 238 to 264 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 264 minutes, personal care workers provided 212 (80.3%), followed by registered nurses (51 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (1 minute, 0.4%). In the same quarter, Marco Polo Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Marco Polo Aged Care Facility?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, below the 88.1% average across other homes by 26.1 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they feel safe (75% against 96.3%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (75% against 87.2%).
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 101% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 92.7%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 56% answered “always”, 6% “most of the time”, 19% “some of the time” and 19% “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility were asked whether they get the care they need, 88% answered “always”.
What is the food like at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility?
When residents surveyed at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 63% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 19% “never”.
Food spending at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.11 per resident per day, 61% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Marco Polo Aged Care Facility reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 89% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
50% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Marco Polo Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
Total spending at Marco Polo Aged Care Facility in the 2024–25 financial year was $449.66 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 60.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $270.80 was 2% 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?
Other categories included administration ($63.94), accommodation and maintenance ($36.37), and cleaning and laundry ($30.46) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($169.72) and registered nurses ($65.82).
