Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for McDougall Park Nursing Home is 3.53 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
59% positive in 2026, compared with 42% in 2025: 17 percentage points higher.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 233 vs 234 minutes; registered nurses: 48 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% 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: 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.16% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.28% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
What do residents say about McDougall Park Nursing Home?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 100% of residents surveyed at McDougall Park Nursing Home answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.9 percentage points above the average of 89.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 50% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.3%. Altogether, answers on 3 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 explain changes to care. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them, 33% answered “always”, 17% “most of the time” and 50% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at McDougall Park Nursing Home were asked whether they feel safe, 58% answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at McDougall Park Nursing Home?
When residents surveyed at McDougall Park Nursing Home for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 59% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 8.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 42% in 2025. Another 42% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at McDougall Park Nursing Home in January to March 2026 was $23 per resident per day, 44% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $1.03 per resident per day, 268% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
McDougall Park Nursing Home reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 18% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
59% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does McDougall Park Nursing Home provide?
McDougall Park Nursing Home reported 233 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute below its target of 234 minutes. Of those minutes, 48 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 46.
McDougall Park Nursing Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 227 to 238.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 186 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (48 minutes). In the same quarter, McDougall Park Nursing Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians.
How does McDougall Park Nursing Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, McDougall Park Nursing Home spent $432.23 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $272.88 was 3% above the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($55.60), administration ($43.93), and cleaning and laundry ($22.50) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($148.63) and registered nurses ($79.24).
