Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for McNamara Lodge is 4.15 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 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 231 minutes against a 221-minute daily care target; RN time is 47 against 44.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
72% positive in 2025, compared with 40% in 2024: 32 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
72% 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 | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does McNamara Lodge provide?
McNamara Lodge reported 231 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 10 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 47 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
McNamara Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 223 to 236 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 180 of the 231 minutes (77.9%), followed by registered nurses (47 minutes, 20.3%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.7%). McNamara Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at McNamara Lodge?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at McNamara Lodge said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 32 percentage points higher than the 40% recorded in 2024. Another 22% answered “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
In January to March 2026, McNamara Lodge spent $18 per resident per day on food, 13% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.60 per resident per day, 114% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to McNamara Lodge, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
72% 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 McNamara Lodge?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 100% of residents surveyed at McNamara Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.7 percentage points above the average of 89.3% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 88.6%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 72% 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. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 50% answered “always”, 22% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 11% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at McNamara Lodge were asked whether they feel safe, 78% answered “always” and 22% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 44% answered “always” and 56% “most of the time”.
How does McNamara Lodge spend on resident care?
Total spending at McNamara Lodge in the 2024–25 financial year was $413.13 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $260.51 was 2% below 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 administration ($54.80), accommodation and maintenance ($30.16), and cleaning and laundry ($19.72) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($158.96) and registered nurses ($66.84).
