Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Marco Polo Woonona Care Services is 3.6 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 45% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 244 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
70% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% across other homes.
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 | 96.26% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.10% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.10% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.36% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.23% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Marco Polo Woonona Care Services provide?
Marco Polo Woonona Care Services reported 244 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 22 minutes above its target of 222 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In one of the last four quarters, Marco Polo Woonona Care Services met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 238 to 247.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 193 minutes, followed by registered nurses (42 minutes) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes). Marco Polo Woonona Care Services also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Marco Polo Woonona Care Services?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Marco Polo Woonona Care Services answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 17.2 percentage points below the average of 87.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (73% against 89.1%) and whether the home is well run (72% against 88.1%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Marco Polo Woonona Care Services, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on 9 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
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. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 70% answered “always”, 6% “some of the time” and 24% “never”; none answered “most of the time”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 79% of residents surveyed at Marco Polo Woonona Care Services answered “always” and 9% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 79% answered “always” and 3% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Marco Polo Woonona Care Services?
When residents surveyed at Marco Polo Woonona Care Services for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 45% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 22.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share rose from 42% in 2025. Another 15% answered “some of the time” and 39% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Marco Polo Woonona Care Services spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.21 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Marco Polo Woonona Care Services, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 90% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
45% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Marco Polo Woonona Care Services spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Marco Polo Woonona Care Services spent $431.17 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $263.45 was 1% 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 ($60.81), accommodation and maintenance ($36.88), and cleaning and laundry ($25.72) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($168.20) and registered nurses ($57.45).
