Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for McLean Care Yallambee is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two 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.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 214 minutes; registered nurses: 41 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
77% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% 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: 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does McLean Care Yallambee provide?
In January to March 2026, McLean Care Yallambee reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, 9 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Of those minutes, 41 came from registered nurses, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
McLean Care Yallambee met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 223 to 314.
Who provides that care?
Of the 223 minutes, personal care workers provided 176 (78.9%), followed by registered nurses (41 minutes, 18.4%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 2.7%). McLean Care Yallambee also reported spending on podiatrists and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does McLean Care Yallambee spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, McLean Care Yallambee spent $355.09 per resident per day on care and nursing, 34% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $536.38 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?
Other categories included administration ($92.65), accommodation and maintenance ($34.73), and cleaning and laundry ($25.83) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($216.36) and registered nurses ($73.52).
What is the food like at McLean Care Yallambee?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 77% of residents surveyed at McLean Care Yallambee said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 6.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 69% in 2024. Another 23% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, McLean Care Yallambee spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, McLean Care Yallambee reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
McLean Care Yallambee 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”.
77% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about McLean Care Yallambee?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 100% of residents surveyed at McLean Care Yallambee answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 89.3% average across other homes by 10.7 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 81.8%.
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, 77% answered “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “always” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 92% of residents surveyed at McLean Care Yallambee answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
