Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village is 3.78 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 205 minutes against a 203-minute daily care target; RN time is 45 against 41.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
73% positive in 2026, compared with 60% in 2025: 13 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 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 | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How does Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village in the 2024–25 financial year was $219.91 per resident per day, 17% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $357.29 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($53.45), cleaning and laundry ($24.97), and accommodation and maintenance ($21.46) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($145.59) and registered nurses ($51.96).
What do residents say about Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 12.9 percentage points above the average of 87.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (90% against 80.2%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
At Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 8 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village were asked whether they feel safe, 68% answered “always” and 26% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 68% answered “always” and 32% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village provide?
Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village reported 205 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 203 minutes. Of those minutes, 45 came from registered nurses, 4 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 41.
In each of the last four quarters, Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 232.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 160 of the 205 minutes (78.0%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 22.0%). In the same quarter, Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village also reported spending on podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 73% of residents surveyed at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 5.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 60% in 2025. Another 26% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.36 per resident per day, 29% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Mary Mackillop Hostel Carrington Retirement Village reports that 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”.
73% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
